CGS-Geotechnical Info Net is pleased to profile the CGS award recipients recognized at the 2017 Awards Banquet. This issue features Mike Wei of the BC Ministry of Environment, who was presented with the 2017 Robert N Farvolden Award. This joint CGS/IAH-CNC award was established in 2000 and is named to honour Dr. Farvolden (1928-1995) who is credited with beginning the modern era of hydrogeology in Canada in the 1960s. Mike’s citation reads:
“BC professional engineer Mike Wei is a world class leader in the development of science-based policy and regulation concerning the protection of groundwater resources. As Head of Aquifer and Watershed Science at the BC Ministry of Environment, Mike has been the provincial government expert in developing and implementing the long-awaited Groundwater Protection Regulation, as well as the new Water Sustainability Act and Water Sustainability Regulation. He has helped to develop BC’s groundwater science knowledge through careful scientific studies spanning groundwater development through contamination.
His technical contributions have included the development of numerous groundwater protection tools like the BC Aquifer Classification System and the Well Protection Toolkit, which are used by communities and practitioners across the province. Throughout his career, Mike has worked with a variety of government agencies, regional health authorities, industry, and academia on groundwater resource management projects, striving to achieve balance between science and practicality of solutions. He has steadily and purposefully worked to ensure that all stakeholders in the groundwater industry are engaged and feel that their contributions are recognized.
For his professionalism, leadership, and profound contributions to the protection of British Columbia’s and Canada’s groundwater resources, the CGS Groundwater Division and the IAH-CNC are pleased to award Mike Wei with the 2017 Robert N Farvolden Award.”
All 2017 CGS award recipients wo were recognized this past October at the CGS Awards Banquet during GeoOttawa 2017 will be listed in December’s CGS News published in Geotechnical News. Doug Stead, the 2017 CGS Legget Medalist, will be featured in that issue.