District Of Muskoka Engineering and Public Works Department 1

Transcription

1 District Of Muskoka Engineering and Public Works Department 1

2 All water is produced at the Kirby s Beach Water Treatment Plant (WTP) built in 1995 Licence No Permit No Ministry of the Environment Waterworks No Further information is available at 2

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4 The Municipal Act 2001, gives the District exclusive jurisdiction over public water supplies in Muskoka The principal statute governing the production and distribution of municipal drinking water is the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Regulations made under the SDWA include: 169/03 Drinking water quality standards 170/03 Operation of drinking water systems 128/04 Certification of water system operators 188/07 Licensing of drinking water systems 387/04 Permits to take water 4

5 The District s Engineering and Public Works Department uses a variety of chemicals and physical processes to adjust the quality of raw water from Lake Muskoka to: 1)Make it more amenable to treatment, improve its aesthetic qualities and adjust its fluoride content 2)Reduce its capacity to damage public infrastucture and private plumbing 3)Render it safe for consumption We then store the water in several reservoirs and deliver it to customers through a network of transmission, distribution and service pipes. 5

6 Aluminum Sulphate (alum): Primary coagulant Carbon Dioxide: ph adjustment Hydrated Lime: Alkalinity and ph adjustment Hydrofluosilicic Acid: Fluoride to prevent dental decay Powdered Activated Carbon: Taste and Odour Control Sodium Hydroxide: Final ph adjustment Sodium Hypochlorite: Disinfectant 6

7 We do not purport to be experts on public health and we don t advise Council on the impacts of approved treatment processes on human health. For example, we add aluminum sulphate to the water supply to reduce colour and turbidity. Our job is to ensure that this done in accordance with the applicable regulations, codes and standards. We have the same responsibilities with respect to fluoride, but the decision to add (or not to add) fluoride is based on information supplied by others, i.e. experts in public health. 7

8 Expert advice on all aspects of public health is available to Muskoka s citizens and municipal councils from the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) as well as from provincial, national and international agencies. The SMDHU has advised District Council on fluoridation policy and will provide information this evening regarding the impacts of community water fluoridation on public health. Municipal staff can answer questions regarding the how of community water fluoridation, and public health experts can address the why. 8

9 Ontario s Fluoridation Act provides permissive authority to municipalities to add fluoride to community water supplies. The Fluoridation Act is a relatively short statute and is available for review at: Section 2.1 (1) of the Act states that: The council of a regional municipality may by by-law establish, maintain and operate or discontinue fluoridation systems. 9

10 The District Municipality of Muskoka is a regional municipality and, therefore, the Council may pass by-laws per Section 2.1 (1) of the Act. The Act does not provide authority for regional municipalities to put questions on the ballot regarding fluoridation. By-law 94-15, which was passed just before the commissioning of the Kirby s Beach plant, was the first to authorize the fluoridation of the Bracebridge water supply. By-law authorized fluoridation throughout Muskoka and replaced By-law

11 The permit issued under the Safe Drinking Water Act for the Bracebridge water supply provides provincial approval for the fluoridation system used in the Kirby s Beach plant. The licence for the Bracebridge water system prescribes standards for the chemicals used to adjust the fluoride content. Chemicals must have NSF 60 certification or be approved for use by an MOE Director. The District uses NSF 60 Certified Hydrofluosilicic Acid supplied by Solvay Fluorides of Houston, Texas. 11

12 Hydrofluosilicic acid is received in a bulk container in concentrated form. It is fed into the water at the rate required to yield the desired concentration in the finished product. Small pumps and meters are used to control this process. Alarms are in place to alert staff to any unusual conditions such as concentrations that are out of range and low levels in storage containers. 12

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14 The concentration of fluoride in Muskoka s raw water is approximately 0.04 mg/l (0.04 parts per million). Some raw waters have significant concentrations, e.g. as high as 100 mg/l in parts of China and India. The maximum level permitted in drinking water by the US EPA is 4.0 mg/l and the US FDA limits for bottled water range from 0.8 to 2.4 mg/l. In Ontario, the maximum acceptable concentration in municipal drinking water is 1.5 mg/l. The target concentration in Ontario is 0.5 to 0.8 milligrams per litre (mg/l). The District of Muskoka aims for 0.6 to 0.7 mg/l. 14

15 The capital cost including the building envelope, pumps, meters, monitoring devices, alarms, mechanical and electrical equipment is in the order of $100,000. The operating cost including chemicals and labour is about $43,000 per annum District wide. This works out to about $1.60 per person per annum in the serviced communities. The operating cost for Bracebridge alone is about $9,000 per annum. 15

16 Resolution 184/2013 of District Council states that fluoridation is to be discontinued on February 3, 2014, unless by January 15, 2014, local municipalities pass a resolution to indicate that they would like to retain fluoridation of the water supplies within their geographic areas. 16

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