Many of the problems associated with drinking water in B.C. appear to be preventable with modest investment of resources in relation to other services we pay for in our modern world. Safe drinking water is the most cost effective way to improve public health. We need only look at the distressing toll of diseases and suffering around the world to recognize how lucky we are to have safe drinking water delivered in to our homes. The challenge for drinking water providers is to earn the trust of all consumers while keeping the cost of public safe water within the reach of all members of our society. This requires developing an understanding of which improvements are most critical to assuring drinking water safety and aesthetics.
Objectives:
The aim of this presentation is to:
1. Discuss current and future water treatment options for B.C. municipalities and water districts.
2. Examine the efficacy of these treatments at removing drinking water contaminants.
3. Discuss the state of drinking water protection in B.C.
4. Explore options to improve drinking water policy and regulation in B.C.
5. Investigate land use implications on drinking water quality and the potential to regulate land use in an IWRM framework.
Readings for Part 1:
Clean Water - Life Depends on It!
Please look at human health and water quality section.
The following case studies demonstrate that a zero risk of water born outbreak is unachievable and there is little value in continuing to characterize failures as being caused by human error when we know that human errors are inevitable. Rather the focus must be on designing and maintaining systems that are able to preserve safe outcomes when human errors do occur.
Safe Drinking Water: Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations
Please see the following pages: P.177-180, Case study in Penticton 1986, P.210-213, Case study in Creston 1990, P.258-263, Case study in Victoria 1995, P.276-279, and Case study in Cranbrook 1996. Choose a case study that interests you. Don't read them all unless you want to.
Water safety barriers include: source water protection, conventional water treatment processes, advanced water treatment processes such as membrane filtration, disinfection, water distribution and storage.
Eagle Lake - Water Improvement Program
Please read the two articles on membrane filtration at Eagle Lake:
Drinking water objectives in B.C. (4, 3, 2, 1 Rule)
Please read the article above.
Supplementary readings on water treatment:
Conventional filtration on Seymour reservoir
Readings for Part 2:
Clean Water - Life Depends on It!
Please read from the pollution problem down to water quality objectives.
The Drinking Water Protection Act
Please read the definition of water supply system, Parts 2 and 4 of the Drinking Water Protection Act.
Please look at the following graphics on groundwater contamination.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/images/nature/grdwtr/a5f8e.htm
http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/images/manage/effic/a6f5e.htm
http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/images/manage/effic/a6f6e.htm
Final Report: Panel Review of B.C.‚s Water Protection Act
Please read recommendations 10, 11, 12, 17 and 23.
Waterproof 2: Canada's Drinking Water Report Card
Please look at the table with provincial grades and note comments for B.C.
Chapter 1: Introduction to agricultural water pollution
Skim entire chapter and look at Table 1 to see the FAO summary of land use effects on drinking waste.
IWRM Tutorial
Please skim the tutorial. Note the philosophy of IWRM as below:
"IWRM is, above all, a philosophy. As such it offers a guiding conceptual framework rather than a concrete blue-print. Implementing IWRM does not for example require that a new super-ministry be created. What it does demand is that people try to change their working practices to look at the bigger picture that surrounds their actions and to realise that these do not occur independently of the actions of others. It also seeks to introduce an element of decentralised democracy into how water is managed, with its emphasis on stakeholder participation and decision making at the lowest appropriate level."
Questions to think about:
1. Why is safe drinking water important?
2. What is the capability of water safety barriers which include source water protection, conventional water treatment processes, advanced water treatment processes, water distribution and storage?
3. What technological improvements can be implemented to improve water quality in BC?
4. How well does the BC Act mirror the Environment Canada article on threats to drinking water?
5. How could single household groundwater systems be better protected from septic contamination?
6. Could similar measures be implemented for single household surface water systems?
7. Is B.C. regulating enough potential drinking water contaminants?
8. Should B.C. be specifying disinfectant levels?
9. How can the externalized costs of water contamination be returned to water users?
10. Should polluting industries be charged and monies put towards water treatment in at risk areas?
11. What is absent from the current Regulation of Drinking Water in B.C. from an IWRM context?
12. How can moving toward an IWRM process for B.C. improve drinking water safety and availability?
Class Itinerary:
Part 1: Introduction and Powerpoint presentation on treatment options (10 minutes)
Part 2: Presentation on Drinking Water Policy in B.C. (10 minutes)
Part 3: Small Group discussion of questions on treatment (20-30 minutes)
Part 4: Small Group discussion of questions on Drinking Water Policy (30-40 minutes)
Part 5: Conclusion (10 minutes)