CANCID - Canadian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage

Executive

President: Willemijn Appels

Dr. Willemijn Appels (CANCID President) is Senior Research Chair at Lethbridge Polytechnic, leading the Mueller Irrigation Research Group. Trained as a hydrologist and soil physicist at Wageningen University (the Netherlands), her expertise is in measuring and modeling agrohydrological processes above and below the soil surface. She has been a CANCID executive member since 2017.

Vice President: Christopher Gallagher, P.ENG

Chris is an irrigation engineer with a Biological Engineering Degree from the University of Guelph and a diploma in Watershed Management from Lethbridge College (now Polytechnic). Chris has a mix of design and project management experience with UMA|AECOM, St. Mary River Irrigation District and most recently with Stantec. Chris was Manager of the Taber Irrigation District for 8 years until amalgamation with SMRID and started as General Manager at LNID in May 2024.

Chris is a champion of protecting irrigation’s social license to operate through effective stewardship of our water resources using responsible source, conveyance and drainage management. Chris is Vice-President of the Canadian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (CANCID) and board member of the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) and Alberta Irrigation Districts Association (AIDA).

Secretary: Evan Derdall

Evan is an Irrigation and Drainage Engineer with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Science and Technology Branch in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His work focuses on improving irrigation water use efficiency through innovative water management practices, precision irrigation, and the integration of advanced technologies. Evan also leads research on drainage water management aimed at enhancing the quantity and quality of agricultural water discharge. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and is dedicated to supporting sustainable, productive, and resilient agricultural systems across Canada.

Rep. Prairies: Erin Karppinen

Dr. Erin Karppinen is a Coordinating Biologist with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, based at the Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre (CSIDC) in Outlook, SK. Erin holds a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Saskatchewan and has a diverse background in contaminated site remediation and agricultural research.

In her current role, Erin manages operations at CSIDC and contributes to research projects that focus on environmentally and economically sustainable practices in irrigated field crop production. Her work supports innovation in agricultural systems and helps drive evidence-based solutions for sustainable water management. Learn more about CSIDC and its research programs here.

Rep. Prairies: Jennifer Nitschelm

Jennifer serves as Director of the Basin Water Management Section & Irrigation Secretariat with the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture & Irrigation. The Section’s team supports irrigation districts with sustainable irrigation development and rehabilitation of district conveyance infrastructure. The Irrigation Secretariat work includes supporting Irrigation Council, providing guidance on the Irrigation Districts Act, and administering the province’s Irrigation Rehabilitation Program.

Rep. Quebec: Paul Deschenes

Paul is an agronomist with a master’s degree in Soil and Environmental Sciences from Laval University (QC). He has been a research professional on the water management in crop production team at the Research and development institute for the agri-environment (IRDA) since 2009. His work focuses on developing best practices for on-farm water management, with the primary goal of maximizing its use efficiency.

Paul est agronome et détient une maîtrise en sols et environnement de l’Université Laval (QC). Il est professionnel de recherche dans l’équipe de gestion de l’eau en productions végétales de l’Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement (IRDA) depuis 2009. Il travaille activement au développement de bonnes pratiques de gestion de l’eau à la ferme, visant principalement à maximiser l’efficacité de son utilisation.

Rep. Ontario: Patrick Handyside

Patrick is a Senior Water Management Engineer with the Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada (AAFC) Science & Technology Branch based in Guelph, Ontario. He brings expertise in irrigation scheduling, controlled tile drainage, and nutrient-loss reduction techniques, advancing agricultural water-use efficiency and water-quality outcomes. Patrick has been involved in major field-studies and collaborative research initiatives, including the “Living Lab – Ontario” project, exploring edge-of-field monitoring to better understand surface runoff and tile-drain discharge.

SYP Representative: Arghavan Tafvizi

Dr. Arghavan Tafvizi earned her Ph.D. in Boreal Ecology with a specialization in hydrology and hydrologic modeling from Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario in 2023, following her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Water-Irrigation and Drainage Engineering from Iran. Since 2023, she has been working as a Hydrologic Modeller at Aquanty Inc., where she is engaged in building and calibrating HydroGeoSphere (HGS) models for diverse watersheds and project sites across Canada, focusing on applications such as pit-lake hydrology, river basin water balance, and climate change scenario analysis. Her work bridges scientific research and practical applications, contributing to improved understanding and sustainable management of water resources. She has been a SYP CANCID member since 2021.