Minister releases discussion paper on standards for
institutional and commercial water supplies

Environment Minister Tom Osborne today released a discussion paper on drinking water quality standards for institutional and commercial facilities which have a private water supply.

"We are looking for input on applying the provincial Standards for Bacteriological Quality of Public Drinking Water Supplies and Standards for Chemical and Physical Monitoring of Drinking Water to commercial and institutional facilities that provide drinking water to the public," said Minister Osborne. "Government wants to ensure that all drinking water supplies that are accessible to the public meet provincial standards."

Institutional and commercial facilities include such facilities as motels, campgrounds, service stations, restaurants and schools. The minister said the department is inviting input from owners and operators of these facilities, as well as other stakeholders, on how to implement the same level of drinking water quality standards for the province's public water supplies to private water systems.

"Water samples are collected from these facilities each time they are inspected, but the frequency of collection is not within current provincial standards," said the minister. "We want the water supplies at these facilities to be disinfected continuously and tested periodically to ensure they meet the same standard as public water supplies."

Minister Osborne said ensuring Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have safe drinking water from both public and private water supplies is a priority for government. "Our drinking water standards for public water supplies are necessary to ensure that drinking water is always safe for consumption, and, as a result, we want to build on these efforts and apply the standards to other water supplies where the public have access to drinking water outside of their homes."

The minister added that applying the provincial standards for drinking water from public supplies to commercial and institutional facilities's private water supplies is a demonstration of government's vigilance in ensuring drinking water safety for the people of the province and people who visit Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Drinking water quality in Newfoundland and Labrador is considered by many to be very high

since most sources are pristine and free of pollutants. However, in order to ensure that water is safe at all times we must take steps to apply a level of standards to all sources of drinking water," said Minister Osborne.

The discussion document on standards for institutional and commercial water supplies is available on the Department of Environment's Web site at www.gov.nl.ca/env/water/consultation where comments can be submitted online. A copy of the discussion paper can also be obtained by calling (709) 729-2563. Written submissions or feedback on the discussion paper are due by April 2, 2004.

For further information on the discussion paper, call Martin Goebel, Director, Water Resources Division at (709) 729-2563.

Media contact: Sonia B. Glover, Communications, (709) 729-2575

2004 02 16                                        12:45 p.m.