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

Abstract

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.

Water systems, sanitation, and public health risks in remote communities: Inuit resident perspectives from the Canadian Arctic

“…They each have their own distinct social, economic, and political systems as well as languages, worldviews, and beliefs and ways of being in the world. Although the specific factors that have led to an increased number and severity of water and sanitation related issues vary among rural and remote Canadian Aboriginal communities, common problems include: inadequate housing conditions (Larcombe et al, 2011), lacking or ageing infrastructure, improper monitoring and treatment, and shortages of skilled operators and health professionals Kot et al, 2015). These can be considered 'proximal' and 'intermediate' determinants of Aboriginal health (Reading and Wien, 2009).…”

Projecting Financial Capability in Small Canadian Drinking Water Treatment Systems

“…Several examples of POE treatment exist in Canada. The Honeymoon Creek Water Users Community, located in British Columbia, installed a POE treatment system that was accepted as appropriate treatment by the local public health authority (Kot et al 2015). POE treatment with NSF/ANSI 55A‐validated UV reactors is used at the Shunda Creek Hostel located just outside of Nordegg, in Alberta (AEP 2015).…”

“…The O&M costs could be reduced if the individual homeowners held the primary responsibility for operation of the POE system while the certified operator maintained oversight of the POE system through monthly or quarterly inspections. In the case of the Honeymoon Creek Water Users Community, the regulator allowed a POE treatment system but did not provide upfront guidance on how they wanted the POE treatment system to be implemented (Kot et al 2015). Without clear guidance on the regulatory requirements, any cost estimate has high uncertainty.…”

“…While these revenue shortfalls are not always immediately apparent, they will adversely impact the reliability and sustainability of the water services. In practice, small systems often meet their shortfalls by being out of compliance or by accumulating infrastructure debt in the form of deferred maintenance (Hukka & Katko 2015, Kot et al 2015). Revenue shortfalls often lead to a downward cycle of poor consumer service, low revenues, poor salaries and worker retention, a lack of initiative, and increasing subsidization (Rouse 2007).…”

Applying the water safety plan to water reuse: towards a conceptual risk management framework

“…Still, there is a recognised need for more research and capacity building to implement the WSP, particularly for small water supplies 34,35 . There is also a recognised need to integrate better risk management tools and to address some non-technical operational and human factors [36][37][38] . One attempt to achieve these aims is the Water Cycle Safety Plan (WCSP) approach that extends the WSP to the urban water cycle.…”