WHEREAS water filtration requirements can be mandated by individual regional health authorities across the province; AND WHEREAS regulations are not standardized across all of the provincial health authorities; AND WHEREAS most municipalities within the jurisdiction of the Interior Health Authority IHA are being required to implement the authoritys 4-3-2-1-0 water quality standards by 2015; AND WHEREAS the cost needed to meet IHA requirements is beyond the financial abilities and borrowing capacity of most municipalities: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government standardizes water quality and treatment regulations across the Province of British Columbia and develops a funding strategy for their implementation.
MINISTRY OF HEALTHY LIVING SPORT Drinking water systems are assessed to help determine if water systems are capable of safeguarding against harmful organisms in water. What is often referred to as the 4-3-2-1-0 Drinking Water Objective is derived from the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality GCDWQ and other industry and regulatory practices. - 4 refers to a 4 Log inactivation of viruses. In this case, 4 log means 104 , or 10,000 fold reduction in viruses, as set out in the GCDWQ - 3 refers to a 3 Log removal or inactivation of parasites, such as Giardia, or cryptosporidium as set out in the GCDWQ. - 2 refers to two treatment processes for all surface water or unprotected groundwater - 1 refers to maintaining a turbidity measured at less than 1 NTU as set out for slow sand filtration in the GCDWQ - 0 refers to indicators of bacterial contamination either Fecal Coliform or E. Coli bacteria as required by the Drinking Water Protection Act. Filtration falls under the 2 as one of several types of treatment process that can be used to help meet the other objectives. However, in some cases, due to the nature of the water source, health officers may prefer that a certain type of treatment is installed in order to ensure effectiveness. 4-3-2-1-0 is recommended for new systems in the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport Drinking Water Officers Guide. It should be considered by all health authorities as a water treatment standard to ensure that water is safe to drink. In some cases, however, the water purveyor may be able to demonstrate that there is no appreciable risk related to these parameters, or that there is some appreciable risk, but it is acceptable from a public health perspective. In these cases, 4-3-2-1-0 may not apply. The Health Protection Branch has taken a number of steps to reassess whether to adopt some, or all of the GCDWQ as mandatory requirements for BCs water systems. We are developing a decision process that local Drinking Water Officers would follow when considering what parameters must be tested for and how often to test for them. The standards applied will be based upon risks to human health in consideration of the source of the drinking water. To help manage costs, only those parameters that pose a risk to human health will require testing and treatment. Funding Strategy: The Province does not have a funding program specifically dedicated to drinking water infrastructure. However, through capital funding programs administrated by the Ministry of Community and Rural Development MCRD, assistance is available to local governments who consider improving andor enhancing their drinking water systems a local priority. These programs fund new and improved water treatment facilities through a number of programs including CanadaBC Building Canada Fund Communities Component, Provincial Towns for Tomorrow Program and Infrastructure Planning Grants. Funding to date for drinking water projects administered by MCRD including federal contributions totals approximately 600 million. It is recognized that the overall capital requirements to address all of local governments drinking water infrastructure needs cannot be met by the current funding envelopes available, nor does local government have the financial ability to fund all of their portion of the infrastructure costs. However, it is recognized that the provision of safe, potable water is a priority of the Province and over time, the Province will continue to support drinking water improvements through capital funding programs as they are developed and implemented. Therefore, the Province is committed to work with health authorities and local government in developing strategies to ensure public health is protected through capital improvements to drinking water systems.