Guidance For Providing Safe Drinking Water in Areas of Federal Jurisdiction - Version 1

Part 1 - The Federal Framework

1.0 Setting the Stage

1.1 The multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water

The drinking water system can be broken down into three main components: the water source, the treatment system and the distribution system. In each of these areas, steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of contamination before it occurs. The multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water reflects this concept and is based on preventative action.

Variability in source water locations, types of source waters (surface water, groundwater, groundwater under the influence of surface water), and range of water treatment processes available make it unlikely that a single solution can be applied to correct every abnormal water analysis result or upset event.

For this reason, health risks are more effectively reduced through planning, designing, and managing the entire drinking water system from source to tap, including implementing barriers at critical points throughout the system.

The multi-barrier approach is an integrated system of procedures, processes and tools that collectively prevent or reduce the contamination of drinking water.

In addition to the physical barriers which relate to the three main components, a number of procedures, processes and tools need to be in place which affect all aspects of the management and operation of the drinking water system. These include stakeholder commitments to develop legislative and/or policy frameworks; guidelines, standards and objectives; research, science and technology solutions, and consumer awareness and involvement.

Figure 1.1 shows how these elements work together to ensure the safety of the drinking water supply.

The application of the multi-barrier approach at the federal level varies from department to department and from site to site. For instance, in cases where the drinking water for a particular facility is supplied by a municipality, a department will need to implement barriers within the building. In cases where a department collects water at the source and then treats and distributes it to consumers, many more barriers will need to be implemented.

As a general rule, drinking water provided by federal departments or in First Nations communities should meet the quality benchmarks set out in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (discussed in Section 2.1).

For more information on the multi-barrier approach and its application to drinking water systems, see "From Source to Tap: Guidance on the Multi-Barrier Approach to Safe Drinking Water" published jointly by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). This document can be downloaded from Health Canada's website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/waterquality or CCME's website at
http://www.ccme.ca/sourcetotap/mba.html

1.2 Jurisdictional issues

In Canada, the responsibility for water quality is shared by various levels of government, and involves multi- jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Major stakeholders include federal, provincial, and territorial government departments, municipal and local governments, First Nations Band Councils, non-governmental organizations, and the public.

Although drinking water quality is generally an area of provincial jurisdiction, the federal government has responsibilities for drinking water quality, including on federal lands and in First Nations communities.

North of 60, the Territorial governments are responsible for ensuring safe drinking water in all communities in their territories, including First Nations and Inuit communities. Responsibility for drinking water quality monitoring and boil water advisories reside with the Territorial governments and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

In some instances (e.g., for federal employees), clear legislative obligations are in place to help ensure the safety of drinking water supplies. For example, the federal government has a legislated duty as an employer to provide potable water to its employees.

In other cases (e.g., visitors to federal lands), ensuring the safety of drinking water supplies is more a matter of due diligence. The issue of due diligence is discussed further in Section 2.6.

In the case of facilities located on federal land but leased to a third party, the federal government's responsibilities and liabilities are determined on a case-by-case basis. In such cases, responsibilities for drinking water should be clearly laid out and understood before the lease or agreement is signed. Appropriate clauses should be written into the lease agreement.

When the federal government leases buildings or office space from, or is provided accommodation by a third party, it is the government's responsibility as the employer to provide potable water (see the Canada Labour Code, Section 125 (part II)).

The federal government's responsibilities regarding leased properties apply to existing leases as well as new ones.

For more information on the roles and responsibilities of specific departments, see Section 8: Information and Resources

1.3 Types of water supplies and systems

For the purpose of this document, the following definitions apply to drinking water systems owned or leased by the federal government or First Nations communities. They also apply to water supplies used through arrangements with municipalities (i.e., municipally-supplied federal facilities).

Large systems serve more than 5000 people.

Small systems serve 500 or more people but fewer than 5000.

Very small systems serve fewer than 500 people.

Drinking water systems serving less than 50 people are also included in this category if they are owned or leased by the federal government such as those serving:

1. federal employees in federal facilities;
2. federal employees (and their family / visitors) living in residences provided by the federal government as a condition of employment;
3. members of the Canadian Forces
4. inmates of federal correctional facilities; and
5. visitors to federal facilities.

In addition to these categories, unique facilities exist, or situations may arise, that require special attention in order to protect public health. Examples of unique facilities/situations include:

• Canadian embassies overseas with water systems that have difficulty meeting Canadian standards of sampling, testing, operator certification, availability of regular training for operators, etc.
• Remote locations within Canada
• Seasonal facilities
• Water systems used for one-time large group events
• Coast Guard and military vessels
• Special dedicated-use bottling plants (e.g., Canadian Forces overseas)
• Large scale domestic humanitarian deployments
• Emergencies

In these contexts, it is up to the department in question to determine the most appropriate means of supplying safe drinking water to consumers.