From Source To Tap - The Multi-Barrier Approach To Safe Drinking Water

Legislative & Policy Frameworks

Overarching legislative and policy frameworks outline who is responsible for each aspect of the drinking water system and their specific responsibilities. These frameworks should be reviewed and revised as necessary. It is important that policies at all levels related to the quality of drinking water support public health goals.

In Canada, all levels of government have some responsibility for drinking water, whether direct or indirect. Because drinking water is considered a natural resource, the legislative responsibility for providing safe drinking water to the public generally falls under provincial or territorial jurisdiction. Each province and territory has adopted legislation to protect its source waters and to establish requirements to provide clean, safe and reliable drinking water to its citizens. The federal government is responsible for drinking water under federal jurisdiction, such as on-board common carriers (e.g. ships, airplanes), in First Nations communities (shared responsibility), in military and other federal facilities, and in national parks.

All levels of government have policies and agreements in place which affect the quality of drinking water, ranging from land-use agreements in watersheds; to water quality monitoring, inspections, and operator certification; to purchasing policies for materials which come into contact with drinking water throughout the treatment and distribution chain. The federal government plays a leadership role in developing guidelines and conducting research into health based issues in collaboration with its partners in other jurisdictions.

Because of the complexity of water quality issues, and because public health is at stake, it is critical for all members of a drinking water program - whether elected officials (including municipal), regulators, scientific staff, utility operators, or others - to have appropriate levels of knowledge and understanding of the impact of their activities and decisions on the quality of the water. To this end, access to continuing education in this field is important.

It is imperative that all stakeholders - including government departments, industry, private sector companies, non-governmental organizations, and the public - work cooperatively without losing sight of the ultimate goal: the protection of public health.