NLIS 1
May 28, 2001
(Environment)
Premier announces plan of
action on water quality
Premier Roger Grimes announced today
government�s plan of action to ensure the continued protection and safety
of public water supplies in the province.
The premier was joined by Environment
Minister Ralph Wiseman, Municipal and Provincial Affairs Minister Oliver
Langdon, Government Services and Lands Minister Walter Noel and Minister of
Health and Community Services (Acting) Gerald Smith.
Government�s plan of action strengthens the
existing multi-barrier approach to water quality management with special
emphasis on legislation and policy, source protection and management,
infrastructure, monitoring and reporting, inspections and mitigation,
operator training and single point contact for public inquiries.
Government will spend about $50 million over
the next three years addressing water quality issues. Key elements of
government�s plan include:
- increasing the number of inspectors;
- increasing the frequency of water
testing;
- providing municipalities with 100 per
cent funding up to a maximum of $100,000 to install or upgrade
chlorination equipment;
- working in partnership with the
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities to provide
operator training and education; and,
- keeping the public informed and being
more open and accountable.
Premier Grimes also released a recently
compiled report by the Department of Environment entitled Source to Tap:
Water Supplies in Newfoundland and Labrador, May 2001 and a report on
trihalomethanes (THMs) entitled Trihalomethane Levels in Public Water
Supplies of Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, the premier released
the 1996 draft report on the state of public water supplies with the caution
that the report was never finalized and anyone using this draft report as a
reference should consult with the Department of Environment, Water Resources
Division, at (709) 729-2664 for clarification.
"The Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador will continue to be vigilant in its efforts to provide
municipalities with continued access to safe drinking water," said
Premier Grimes. "This plan of action will enhance the protection of
public drinking water supplies and maintain public confidence in our
drinking water."
Media contact:
Carl Cooper, Office of the Premier, (709)
729-3564
Diane Keough, Department of Environment,
(709) 729-2575
FACT SHEET
Government�s
Plan of Action
Government has a plan of action to enhance
the protection of public water supplies. Future water safety initiatives
will focus on strengthening our existing multi-barrier approach to water
management with specific focus on the following:
- Legislation, regulations and
guidelines
- Single-point contact and lead agency
- Source protection and management
- Water services and infrastructure
needs
- Drinking water quality monitoring and
reporting
- Regulatory inspections and mitigation
plan
- Operator education and training
Source protection and management
A Geographic Information
Systems-based database will be developed for all (protected and unprotected)
public water supply and wellhead areas. This database will be used to
promote integrated land use activities (logging, mining and others) within
public water supply areas without compromising the integrity of drinking
water sources.
Water services and infrastructure needs
Government will implement a $10
million multi-year capital funding program to improve the quality of
drinking water. In addition, $15.4 million will be invested this year in
water supply and distribution systems by the three levels of government
including the upgrading of two existing water treatment plants and
investment in five new water treatment plants.
Drinking water quality monitoring and
reporting
- Government will introduce an expanded
chemical testing program and an expanded bacteriological water quality
testing program. Additional resources will be added to the current
complement to carry out this work. The Public Health Laboratory will
establish operations at major hospitals throughout the province.
- Information on water quality testing will be
readily available and government will prepare an annual report on the
state of drinking water quality, which will be tabled in the House of
Assembly.
Operator education and training
- The province is leading the country with
its unique approach to operators� education and training. The
strategic plan includes the delivery of 54 education and training
seminars in 18 locations throughout the province in 2001. The second
phase of the plan will deal with on-site training.
FACT SHEET
Government�s
Actions to Date
Drinking water quality has always been a
priority for government. Over the years, government has implemented a
program of source water protection, water treatment, water quality
monitoring, and proper maintenance and operation of water treatment systems
in order to ensure the continued safety of the province�s public water
supplies. Some of government�s actions to date include:
- The province has established an
exemplary source protection program. Government has increased the
number of protected water supply areas to 244. This is an increase
from five protected supply areas in 1974.
- The province has established a
leadership role in drinking water quality monitoring and reporting
as compared to most other Canadian provinces where the
responsibility rests with municipal governments.
- The province has expanded its programs
of bacteriological, physical and chemical testing of drinking water.
This includes increased testing frequency, scope and additional
personnel. In fact, in this fiscal year government will collect the
highest number of samples for its chemical testing program than were
collected in the entire history of the drinking water quality
monitoring program in the province.
- The province has taken a proactive
approach to protecting public water supplies that are not adequately
chlorinated by issuing boil water advisories. This extra precaution
is not taken in other provinces, which may account for their
considerably fewer boil water advisories than in this province.
- The province�s clear objective is to
eliminate the need for boil water advisories due to inadequate
chlorination. That is why municipalities can receive 100 per cent
funding to install or repair municipal water disinfection systems
from the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs.
- A water quality technician has been
hired to work specifically with communities that have high
trihalomethanes (THMs) level
- An interdepartmental committee has
been struck to advise government on issues with respect to drinking
water safety.
- The province is an active member of
national drinking water committees.
- The province has committed millions of
dollars to develop a safe drinking water plan.
FACT SHEET
Types of
Routine Water Testing
Bacteriological Testing
- The Government Service Centres (GSC) of
the Department of Government Services and Lands (GSL) carry out
bacteriological and chlorine residual sampling on public water in
accordance with protocol established in an MOU with the Department of
Health and Community Services (HCS) and the regional health boards.
Sampling for the St. John�s water supply is carried out by the city
and testing is done by the Public Health Laboratory.
- Bacteriological analysis is done at the
Department of Health and Community Service�s Public Health
Laboratory located in St. John�s and at GSC offices outside St. John�s.
Chlorine residual analysis is carried out in the field by GSC staff.
- The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking
Water Quality outline the number of samples to be taken each month
based on the population served (i.e. four times per month for water
supplies serving up to 5,000 people; one sample per 1,000 population
for 5,000 to 90,000 people served; and 90 plus one sample per 10,000
population for more than 90,000 people served).
- GSC samples public water supplies on
average once a month. Government is moving toward meeting the
recommended sampling frequency outlined in the guidelines.
- GSC tests for total and fecal coliforms,
E-coli and chlorine residual, and these results are then passed on to
municipalities. In a case where higher than acceptable numbers of
coliforms or chlorine deficiencies are found, the results are
immediately communicated to the communities for appropriate action.
The regional medical officer of health is also advised that action has
been taken with the community, and initiates any follow up that may be
necessary by the public health system. It is the responsibility of the
community to put a boil water advisory in place.
Chemical and Physical Testing
- The Department of Environment conducts
chemical and physical testing of the province�s 314 public water
supplies using surface water in the province. Drinking water quality
monitoring of these supplies for physical and chemical parameters
comprises two components, source water quality and tap water quality.
- Currently, there is data on source water
quality for about 325 public water supplies, tap water quality data
for physical and chemical parameters for about 165 water supplies, and
tap water quality data for THMs for over 300 public supplies. Some of
the monitored parameters for tap water quality are above the
recommended guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. This
information is made available to municipalities quarterly in addition
to an annual report. There are no guidelines for source water quality.
- With the exception of a few physical
parameters which are tested by Department of Environment staff, all
samples for physical and chemical analysis are tested by accredited
laboratories under contract.
- Frequency of sampling for most chemical
and physical parameters is not stipulated but is suggested as
semi-annually in the guidelines, and is decided by the department on a
case-by-case basis. With the exception of THMs, testing of other
physical and chemical parameters is not necessary on a frequent basis
because they are unlikely to change dramatically in short periods of
time. However, baseline chemical and physical testing will be done for
every public water supply in the province by the end of this year.
For more information view: /env/sourcetotap
2001 05
28
11:15 a.m.
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