Distribution of Project Inventory Facilities (n ~3,900; doesn t include rental accommodation, unlicensed care facilities 3% 5% 3% 6% 20% 20% AHS-NLHR

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1 Regulation of Water in Alberta Interact with local municipality and local municipal bylaws, area structure plans, and so forth. Municipal Affairs Environment Public Health 1 Types of Drinking Water Systems in Alberta Un-regulated Water Systems AENV Regulated Waterworks Licensed community Drinking Water Systems Transportation/Food Public Water Systems Non-licensed community Non-licensed individual Bottled water, vending machines, irrigation, ice Individual municipalities Regional Systems Distribution only Private Water Systems Depots Haulers Non-transient Co-op (<3km, 15 connections), schools, institutions, industries, offices, mobile home parks Transient Gas stations, campgrounds, resorts, restaurants, hotels, motels, B&B, community halls Privately owned homes/farms Non-Transient Wells, Dugouts, Cisterns Transient Recreational, Cabins (wells, cisterns) 2 Alberta s Public Health Drinking Water Project An Alberta wide, environmental public health, multiagency, collaborative project. Standardized, public health, risk-based audit of water supply of facilities open to or serving the public. Types of water supply at these facilities includes groundwater wells, cisterns, dugouts, and so forth. Alberta Public Health regulatory requirement for water served to public at these facilities to be potable. 3 1

2 Distribution of Project Inventory Facilities (n ~3,900; doesn t include rental accommodation, unlicensed care facilities 3% 5% 3% 6% 20% 20% AHS-NLHR 15% 22% 6% AHS-Peace AHS-Aspen AHS-Capital AHS-EC AHS-DTHR AHS-Calgary AHS-Palliser AHS-Chinook 4 Preliminary Baseline Audit Findings > 80% of owner/operators of P2-DW facilities untrained or demonstrate minimal knowledge about their water supply Mirrors similar trend/studies observed in private water supplies (e.g. well, cistern, dugout) across North America. 5 Baseline Findings - Continued > 70% P2-DW facilities DO NOT treat their drinking water before use. Some may use some combination of water conditioning equipment (e.g. water softener, carbon filter, greensand filter, etc). Other facilities may have treatment (i.e. filtration + disinfection), but don t really understand why or how their system is producing safe water. >50% to 70% of facilities do not have SOPs for their water supply and/or treatment system, and/or emergency plans for their water supply. 6 2

3 Baseline Audit Findings - Continued Heavy reliance on a good bacteriological water sample as the sole assurance of safe drinking water > 60% of facilities submit bacteriological water samples on some sort of routine frequency. <40% of facilities submit chemical water samples on some routine frequency. >50% of facilities DO NOT shock well or clean cistern on a regular frequency. 7 What are water test results really telling you? Everything ok? Process is in control? Meeting minimum regulatory compliance requirements? Potential problems? Emergency? I don t know? 8 Buried Infrastructure and Safe Water Out of sight, out of mind If it isn t broken, why do I need to fix anything? Haven t gotten sick yet and we ve been drinking this water all of our lives! 9 3

4 Issues Of Well Protection and Wellhead Maintenance Water supply for staff housing Water supply for a water co-op 10 People landscape to create their own well pits thereby creating their own water problems Five ***** tourist accommodations with a??? potable water supply 4

5 Rural Community Hall #1 Rural Community Hall # Water Supply in Some Approved Meat Processing Facilities 15 5

6 Private Individuals and Rural Water Options for private individuals for their rural drinking water supply are: Groundwater Surface water (e.g. dugout, other) Water cistern & truck-hauled water Bottled water Regional water supply via centralized distribution system Education for Private Water System Owners Agency fact-sheets for wells, dugouts, cisterns Extension workshops (usually groundwater), where available. Internet resources AHS EHOs Onus is on the Private Water Supply Owner to Maintain Their Water Supply Properly 16 Next Steps in Project Continue to deal with serious issues on on-going basis as revealed through auditing process AHW development of PH regulation; collaboration with TAC-SW Committee Re-audit percentage of facilities to the new, draft PH regulatory standards Education 17 Project Outcomes & Deliverables A Public Health risk-based AUDIT REPORT on non-licensed public water supplies in AB. New PH legislation & tools for compliance for these very small water systems to ensure public health protection. Development of: An Environmental Public Health (EPH) drinking water program for these very small water systems. EPH remedial action tools. EPH education training tools & resources for these very small water systems. 18 6

7 Acknowledgements Funding provided by Alberta Health & Wellness to Alberta Health Services AHW Project Manager: Debra Mooney The Public Health Drinking Water Officers doing these audits throughout Alberta Technical and scientific project guidance by Nelson Fok (AHS) and Pat Lang (AENV) Multi-disciplinary Project Steering Committee 19 7