scholarly journals Evaluating the use and intent of drinking water advisories in Atlantic Canada

Water Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 908-924
Author(s):  
Kaycie Lane ◽  
Graham Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Atlantic Canada ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Proactive Management ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Drinking water advisories (DWAs) are used as a tool for identifying water safety concerns in many jurisdictions. Evidence from previous research demonstrates a lack of improvement in water system operations over time, with an increase in the total number of DWAs in place. DWAs are predominantly issued due to operational concerns within a water system, implying a lack of proactive management measures for preventable issues. Therefore, DWAs represent a chronic issue for many water systems, particularly those lacking resources to implement operational improvements. This study explores DWA characteristics in Atlantic Canada, including frequency and duration, focusing on municipal and private water systems. Seasonality was identified as a trend in DWA issuance in Nova Scotia, and reasons for DWA issuance are largely unchanged over time. Neither of these identified concerns has led to a change in DWA reporting or issuance procedures. Additionally, this study identifies a lack of a common reporting format, leading to the proposal of a template of minimum characteristics for future DWA reporting. Overall, this study highlights deficiencies in the DWA issuance process as a water safety measure and suggests alternative methods for risk management in water systems to alleviate the persistence and prevalence of DWAs in Canada.

scholarly journals Towards a Sustainable Small Non-Community Drinking Water System in Ontario: Owners’ Risk Awareness and Perceptions to Water Safety

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Fatih Sekercioglu ◽  
Jerry White ◽  
Dan Shrubsole ◽  
Jamie Baxter
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Risk Awareness ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Drinking Water System ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

In Ontario, small non-community drinking water systems are defined as systems that make drinking water available to the public and are not connected to a community drinking water system. This study, using qualitative research approach, examines the risk awareness and perceptions of small non-community drinking water system owners in providing safe drinking water to their clients and protecting their water source. Our study yields the need for developing a sustainable operation model for small non-community drinking water systems. The study results provide recommendations to the regulatory agency for effective and efficient administration of the program such as offering customized and affordable training opportunities and developing effective communication strategies for owners and operators.

scholarly journals The Water Safety Plan Approach: Application to Small Drinking-Water Systems—Case Studies in Salento (South Italy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4360
Author(s):  
Francesca Serio ◽  
Lucia Martella ◽  
Giovanni Imbriani ◽  
Adele Idolo ◽  
Francesco Bagordo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Safety Plan ◽  
Water Safety Plan ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Background: The quality of water for human consumption is an objective of fundamental importance for the defense of public health. Since the management of networks involves many problems of control and efficiency of distribution, the Water Safety Plan (WSP) was introduced to address these growing problems. Methods: WSP was applied to three companies in which the water resource assumes central importance: five water kiosks, a third-range vegetable processing company, and a residence and care institution. In drafting the plan, the terms and procedures designed and tested for the management of urban distribution systems were applied to safeguard the resource over time. Results: The case studies demonstrated the reliability of the application of the model even to small drinking-water systems, even though it involved a greater effort in analyzing the incoming water, the local intended use, and the possibilities for managing the containment of the dangers to which it is exposed. This approach demonstrates concrete effectiveness in identifying and mitigating the dangers of altering the quality of water. Conclusions: Thanks to the WSP applied to small drinking-water systems, we can move from management that is focused mainly on verifying the conformity of the finished product to the creation of a global risk assessment and management system that covers the entire water supply chain.

scholarly journals An approach for developing a national estimate of waterborne disease due to drinking water and a national estimate model application

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 201-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Messner ◽  
Susan Shaw ◽  
Stig Regli ◽  
Ken Rotert ◽  
Valerie Blank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Water System ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Epidemiologic Studies ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Waterborne Disease ◽  
Public Water Systems

In this paper, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presents an approach and a national estimate of drinking water related endemic acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) that uses information from epidemiologic studies. There have been a limited number of epidemiologic studies that have measured waterborne disease occurrence in the United States. For this analysis, we assume that certain unknown incidence of AGI in each public drinking water system is due to drinking water and that a statistical distribution of the different incidence rates for the population served by each system can be estimated to inform a mean national estimate of AGI illness due to drinking water. Data from public water systems suggest that the incidence rate of AGI due to drinking water may vary by several orders of magnitude. In addition, data from epidemiologic studies show AGI incidence due to drinking water ranging from essentially none (or less than the study detection level) to a rate of 0.26 cases per person-year. Considering these two perspectives collectively, and associated uncertainties, EPA has developed an analytical approach and model for generating a national estimate of annual AGI illness due to drinking water. EPA developed a national estimate of waterborne disease to address, in part, the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments. The national estimate uses best available science, but also recognizes gaps in the data to support some of the model assumptions and uncertainties in the estimate. Based on the model presented, EPA estimates a mean incidence of AGI attributable to drinking water of 0.06 cases per year (with a 95% credible interval of 0.02–0.12). The mean estimate represents approximately 8.5% of cases of AGI illness due to all causes among the population served by community water systems. The estimated incidence translates to 16.4 million cases/year among the same population. The estimate illustrates the potential usefulness and challenges of the approach, and provides a focus for discussions of data needs and future study designs. Areas of major uncertainty that currently limit the usefulness of the approach are discussed in the context of the estimate analysis.

scholarly journals How current risk assessment and risk management methods for drinking water in The Netherlands cover the WHO water safety plan approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 222 (7) ◽  
pp. 1030-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.H.J.L. van den Berg ◽  
L. Friederichs ◽  
J.F.M. Versteegh ◽  
P.W.M.H. Smeets ◽  
A.M. de Roda Husman
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Safety Plan ◽  
Water Safety Plan ◽  
Current Risk

scholarly journals Opportunistic pathogens and faecal indicators in drinking water associated biofilms in Cluj, Romania

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Farkas ◽  
M. Drăgan-Bularda ◽  
D. Ciatarâş ◽  
B. Bocoş ◽  
Ş. Ţigan
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Water System ◽  
Drinking Water Treatment ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Faecal Indicators

Biofouling occurs without exception in all water systems, with undesirable effects such as biocorrosion and deterioration of water quality. Drinking water associated biofilms represent a potential risk to human health by harbouring pathogenic or toxin-releasing microorganisms. This is the first study investigating the attached microbiota, with potential threat to human health, in a public water system in Romania. The presence and the seasonal variation of viable faecal indicators and opportunistic pathogens were investigated within naturally developed biofilms in a drinking water treatment plant. Bacterial frequencies were correlated with microbial loads in biofilms as well as with physical and chemical characteristics of biofilms and raw water. The biofilms assessed in the current study proved to be extremely active microbial consortia. High bacterial numbers were recovered by cultivation, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, intestinal enterococci and Clostridium perfringens. There were no Legionella spp. detected in any biofilm sample. Emergence of opportunistic pathogens in biofilms was not significantly affected by the surface material, but by the treatment process. Implementation of a water safety plan encompassing measures to prevent microbial contamination and to control biofouling would be appropriate.

scholarly journals Drinking-water safety – challenges for community-managed systems

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (S1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Rizak ◽  
Steve E. Hrudey
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Water System ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Waterborne Disease ◽  
Drinking Water Safety ◽  
Weather Events

A targeted review of documented waterborne disease outbreaks over the past decades reveals some recurring themes that should be understood by drinking-water suppliers. Evidence indicates the outbreaks are often linked to some significant change in conditions that provides a sudden challenge to a water system. Severe weather events, such as heavy rainfall or runoff from snow melt, as well as treatment process and system changes, are common risk factors for drinking-water outbreaks. Failure to recognise warning signs and complacency are important contributors to drinking water becoming unsafe. Drinking-water suppliers must focus on competence and vigilance in maintaining effective multiple barriers appropriate to the challenges facing the drinking-water system. Understanding the risk factors and failure modes of waterborne disease outbreaks is an essential component for effective management of community drinking-water supplies and ensuring the delivery of safe drinking-water to consumers.

scholarly journals Application of a risk management system to improve drinking water safety

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asoka Jayaratne
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Iso 9001 ◽  
World Health ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Critical Control Point

The use of a comprehensive risk management framework is considered a very effective means of managing water quality risks. There are many risk-based systems available to water utilities such as ISO 9001 and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). In 2004, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality recommended the use of preventive risk management approaches to manage water quality risks. This paper describes the framework adopted by Yarra Valley Water for the development of its Drinking Water Quality Risk Management Plan incorporating HACCP and ISO 9001 systems and demonstrates benefits of Water Safety Plans such as HACCP.

scholarly journals Experience, training and confidence among small, non-community drinking water system operators in Ontario, Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 782-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Pons ◽  
Scott A. McEwen ◽  
Katarina Pintar ◽  
Andria Jones-Bitton ◽  
Ian Young ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Ongoing Training ◽  
One Year ◽  
Training Opportunities

The water operator plays an important role in water safety; however, little published research exists that has examined this role. The purpose of this study was to develop a greater understanding of the experience, existing knowledge, confidence and future training needs of the small, non-community drinking water operator in Ontario in order to help guide future outreach and training opportunities. A cross-sectional telephone survey of 332 small, non-community drinking water operators in Ontario was conducted in July and August 2011. Survey questions pertained to respondents' experience as operators, formal training, perceived importance of water safety issues, confidence in handling water safety issues, and future training needs. Approximately 16% (54/330) of respondents had one year or less experience as a water operator, and 60% (199/332) reported that being a water operator was not a chosen profession. Only 37% (124/332) of operators reported completing operator training. Respondents reported a preference for online training courses or on-site training (compared with a classroom setting). Low training rates, inexperience, and in certain situations, low confidence, among many small water system operators highlight a need to provide continued support to the development of ongoing training opportunities in this population.

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