The roles and effects of safety factors in small system water regulation

Regnier, John E.

doi:10.5942/jawwa.2014.106.0028

Cited by 1 publication

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References 2 publications

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“…those serving populations of fewer than 5,000 individuals) are known to face numerous challenges related to supplying safe drinking water. These challenges include the capacity to evaluate and maintain drinking water systems, secure the funds necessary to make necessary upgrades, and manage the increasingly sophisticated technical systems required to achieve new and emerging regulations (Kot et al, 2011;Haider et al, 2014;Forrer et al, 2013;Regnier, 2014). As a result, these systems are at a higher risk of providing consumers with unsafe drinking water (Eggertson, 2008;Bakker & Cook, 2011;Moffat & Struck, 2011), and often struggle to meet the rising expectations of regulators (Rizak & Hrudey, 2008;Roberson, 2011;Kot et al, 2011) and of consumers (Chapelle et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Water compliance challenges: how do Canadian small water systems respond?

2014

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Fundamental to community health and well-being is the capacity to access a sustainable supply of safe drinking water. Small community drinking water systems are the most vulnerable to contamination, and struggle to secure the funds necessary to improve water treatment and delivery systems, and meet increasingly stringent drinking water quality regulations. Little is known of the contextual and cultural differences between communities and the impact this has on regulatory compliance. This study explored the experiences and impact of individual actors within seven small community drinking water systems in locations across Canada. Qualitative, in-person interviews were conducted with water operators, consumers, and decision-makers in each community, and these findings were analysed thematically. Findings from the study show that communities approach and align with compliance challenges in three distinct ways: by adopting regulator-provided or regulator-driven solutions, by adopting an existing improvement framework (i.e. regionalization), or through reinvention to address a new issue or concern. Policy-makers looking to align small communities with appropriate water quality goals may benefit from a consideration of these contextual and cultural differences.

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