Whereas many of British Columbias more than 4,000 small water systems face infrastructure upgrades whose costs are unaffordable, and while a Point-of-Entry POE disinfection exemption under the Drinking Water Protection Regulation exists, it requires Drinking Water Officer DWO approval which is discretionary and applied inconsistently leaving eligible communities without a clear, predictable pathway to access this technology; And whereas the Ministry of Healths Small Water System Guidebook currently lacks standardized POE approval criteria, affordability thresholds, inspection protocols, or permit templates to guide DWOs in exercising this discretionary authority: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Province of British Columbia to update the Small Water System Guidebook to include a standardized Point-of-Entry POE approval framework for eligible small water systems, making the POE pathway, already permitted under the Drinking Water Protection Regulation, consistently and equitably accessible to communities across British Columbia and to review the Drinking Water Protection Regulation to determine amendments to ensure its permanence and consistent application by health authorities province-wide.
