Inventory of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Environmental and Occupational Health Data
Sources and Surveillance Activities

Inventory of Data Sources

Drinking Water Information Management System (DWIMS) (Ontario)

Contacts
Patrick Cheung
Drinking Water Specialist
Drinking Water Surveillance Program
Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE)
125 Resources Road
Etobicoke, ON
M9P 3V6
Tel: (416) 235-6236
E-mail: cheungpa@ene.gov.on.ca

Nazma Khan
DWIMS Database Administrator
[Address same as above]
Tel: (416)-235-6250
E-mail: khanna@ene.gov.on.ca

Organization Maintaining the Database
Drinking Water Surveillance Program, and the Systems Group of the Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment

Purpose of Database
To collect and store drinking water quality data to support standards development iin the Drinking Water Surveillance Program (DWSP) and for audit water samples collected when MOE inspects municipal waterworks in Ontario; to define contaminant levels and trends; to assess emerging contaminants; and to monitor the efficiency of water treatment processes.

Content
Water quality data on concentrations of environmental contaminants; and analytical results for a variety of chemical (e.g., pesticides) and radiological parameters (most of the parameters listed in the Ontario Drinking Water Standards, as well as for parameters which are not regulated in Ontario).

Data types: chemical, radiological, and water facilities in Ontario. Provincial and local/municipal level data. Data elements: Waterworks information, such as waterworks name, number, address, contacts, water source(s), treatment information, and sample site(s).

Person-level data with identifiers for data on waterworks ownership and operator information are available. Personal data: individual's name; address (for sample sites where an individual may live); workplace telephone number; and e-mail address. Also group-level or aggregate data (e.g., data can be grouped or summarized by ownership type, operator type). Geolocators: postal codes; some UTM coordinates are available at the waterworks level.

Data coding/classification standards: The database is an Oracle 9i database which follows Oracle Relation Database Management Standards (RDBMS). Most International Union of Pure and Applied Chemisty (IUPAC) standards are followed for parameter names; however, some trade names for pesticides, and short forms, such as NDMA for N-nitrosodimethylamine, are also used. Metric SI-units, such as mg/L, are used for most units of measure.

Year Database Established
1986

Coverage Period
1986 to 2003

Data Updates
Weekly to monthly

Data Provider
Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE); analytical results of are provided by the MOE laboratory which analyzes the DWSP drinking water samples. Waterworks data are entered by DWSP staff so that the analytical data can be captured in the proper place on the database.

Data Availability
The main users of the database information are MOE staff, such as Standards Development Branch, regional water inspectors, and Laboratory Services Branch, who can access the data directly via the MOE Intranet to the DWIMS web site to run reports that query the DWIMS database for information. A username account and password are required for access; access can also be restricted to read-only.

External MOE users, such as the federal Ministries of Health and of Environment, consultants, academia, and the public, cannot access the data directly but must request the data from MOE. Others: Direct access to the data is only available if an individual can access the MOE Intranet and if the appropriate software and plug-ins are installed to gain access to the DWIMS web site to run reports. Public access is via the MOE Internet web site (see URL: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/water.htm)

Reports
Drinking Water Surveillance Program Biennial Reports; in printed format (from 1986 to 1995) and electronic format (from 1990 to 1999).

Additional Comments
The data for the DWSP are collected under a voluntary partnership between the MOE and the municipalities. The data collected from audit water samples, which are collected when MOE inspects municipal waterworks in Ontario, are subject to internal agreements between MOE Operations Division and the Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch, MOE.

Linkages with other databases: Some of the information, such as laboratory codes, which are owned and maintained by the MOE laboratory, is snapshot (weekly) from the lab's Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). In addition, some of the waterworks data, such as the waterworks name and number, which are created in another database -- the Drinking Water Web Site (DWWS) -- are downloaded (weekly) to DWIMS. The snapshots and downloads follow Oracle RDBMS conventions.

Data can be exported in Adobe PDF and HTML format.

Other databases: Drinking Water Web Site (DWWS); Drinking Water Information System (DWIS).

Documentation on the database is available in electronic format.

For more information on Ontario Drinking Water Standards, see:
www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/WaterReg/WaterReg.htm