Small Drinking Water Systems Program Overview

Ministry of Health and Long-Term CarePublic Health Protection and Prevention BranchEnvironmental Health SectionMarch 2010

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Outline

• Context of transfer of small drinking water systems

• Overview of the program• Ongoing ministry support of public health units

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“While it is not possible to utterly remove all risk from a water system, the recommendations’

overall goal is to ensure that Ontario’s drinking water systems deliver water with a level of risk so negligible that a reasonable and informed

person would feel safe drinking the water”

Report of the Walkerton Inquiry, 2002

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The Public Health Approach

• Under the new risk-based approach, public health inspectors will conduct a site-specific risk assessment on every small drinking water system in the province

• Based on the assessment, they will determine what owners and operators must do to keep their drinking water safe…..

• This reflects a customized approach for each small drinking water system depending on the level of risk, rather than “one-size-fits-all “ requirements

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SDWS Program

IdentificationSite Specific

Risk Assessment

AWQI

Outreach and Building Inventory

Compliance Monitoring

• Identify the system• Ensure it is under O.Reg.318/08 • Gather information about the system • Issue a SDWS ID#

Other Inspections

• Operator submits regulatory samples to lab • Operator required to submit at a frequency based

on directive• Sample results uploaded to LRMA by private lab

• PHI to monitor sampling requirements through LRMA • PHI follow up with non-compliant owner/operators

• Lab responsible for contacting operator, PHU and MOHLTC

• PHI responds to AWQI• LRMA will collect AWQI information

Sampling Requirement

• May be completed as a result of an AWQI, compliance issue, complaint or other reason

• May result in a corrective action, directive or in providing information to the operator.

Directive Issued

Response to AWQI

Ongoing Monitoring

• Required for each system• Results in a risk category and issuing a directive• Directives will include site specific requirements

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Types of drinking water systems included in the transfer?• Non-municipal seasonal residential system that

• serve 6 or more private residences, or• have 6 or more service connections, and • operates with at least one annual 60 consecutive day

gap within a calendar year

• Examples include seasonal trailer parks, campgrounds, recreational camps

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Types of drinking water systems included in the transfer? • Municipally owned sports facilities, parks, arenas, recreation

centres• Privately owned resorts, marinas, churches, mosques• Food service premises• Places that operate primarily for the purpose of providing

overnight accommodations to the traveling public such as motels, hotels, etc.

• Where a service club or fraternal organization meets on a regular basis

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General Requirements of Small Drinking Water Systems Reg’s• Notification of intention to supply water• Designating an operator • Sampling and testing• Treatment • Response to adverse test results and observations• Directives• Request for review

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Site Specific Risk Assessments• Observations of the system components, equipment, distribution

system, the site and the surrounding property

• Reviewing documentation pertaining to the system such as owner’s manuals for equipment and well records.

• Interviewing the owner / operator to determine experience and competencies in operating the small drinking water system

• Reviewing historical water sample test results if available

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Assessment using the Risk Categorization tool

RCat applies a general questionnaire to determine the risk category of a small drinking water system:

• Part 1 – General Information• Part 2 – Source• Part 3 – Treatment• Part 4 – Distribution• Part 5 – Flow Diagram• Part 6 – Grading System (Risk Category Main points and grading chart)

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RCat and Risk Categorization

.Risk Category for Small Drinking Water System

•High = Significant level of risk •Medium = Moderate level of risk •Low = Negligible level of risk

Grade for Source and Treatment Criteria

A B C DGrade for

Distribution Criteria

a

b √c

d

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Directive issued after completion of a site specific assessment • The directive is legally binding on the owner of the small drinking

water system as well as any subsequent owner• Provides requirements for the safe operation of the drinking

water system (sampling, treatment, operator training, etc)• The directive is in force for as long as the small drinking water

system is in operation

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Monitoring Compliance

• Reviewing water sampling test results submitted to commercial laboratories

• Lab results are uploaded into the Laboratory Results Management Application (LRMA) where they are monitored by the PHI

• Response to adverse water quality incidents, complaints, inquiries

• Integration with other responsibilities of the PHI

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Ministry Support

• Develop and maintain the regulations, standards, protocols and guidance documents for the consistent delivery of the program

• Resource manual complete with all business processes, regulations, fact sheets, short-form wording, etc.

• Fact sheets for owner/operators available on ministry website

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Ministry Support

IT systems support• The Risk categorization tool (RCat)• Laboratory Results Management Application (LRMA)

Provide ongoing program and technical training

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Ministry Support

• Technical consulting firm available to PHI’s by phone, e-mail, portal.

• Monthly teleconferences with PHI’s• Self learning modules and SME’s in the field

proposed

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Drinking Water Ontario

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Contact / Questions

Tony Amalfa, B.Sc., C.P.H.I.(C)Manager, Environmental Health

Public Health Protection and Prevention Branch Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

Public Health Division5700 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor

Toronto, OntarioM2M 4K5

Tel: (416) 327-7624Email: Tony.Amalfa@ontario.ca