Chief Drinking Water Inspector Annual Report 2014-2015

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Data provided in this report can be found at the Ontario.ca open data catalogue.

Message from the Chief Drinking Water Inspector

I am pleased to present the 2014-2015 annual drinking water report for Ontario.

In this report you will find information on the performance of Ontario’s regulated drinking water systems and laboratories, drinking water test results, and the ministry’s enforcement activities and programs. We are committed to providing high quality drinking water to the people of Ontario.

Ontario has a comprehensive safety net that protects drinking water from source to tap. It provides a multi-barrier approach to drinking water protection through strong legislation, stringent health-based standards, regular and reliable testing, highly trained operators, regular inspections and a source water protection program.

Drinking water test results for our regulated systems show that they continue to provide high quality drinking water to the people of Ontario. In 2014-15:

• 99.8 per cent of 533,457 drinking water test results from municipal residential drinking water systems met Ontario’s strict drinking water quality standards.
• 99.4 per cent of inspections of municipal residential drinking water systems resulted in inspection ratings higher than 80 per cent, and 67 per cent scored 100 per cent.

In his message, Dr. David C. Williams, the Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, provides an update on the performance of the province’s small drinking water systems and how the program is helping protect the health of Ontarians.

In line with our strong belief in transparency and in support of the Province’s commitment to Open Government, we are also providing information from this report on the Province’s Open Data catalogue at the Ontario.ca open data catalogue. Watch for regular updates to the catalogue in the near future.

To learn more about how your drinking water is protected from source-to-tap, visit the Ontario.ca drinking water information webpage.

Susan Lo,
Chief Drinking Water Inspector
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

Protecting Ontario’s drinking water

Source water protection

Ontario’s source protection program requires communities to design watershed-based source protection plans that identify potential risks and strategies to reduce or eliminate risks to sources of drinking water.

Nineteen source protection committees produced 22 plans built on scientific research. Representatives from municipalities, First Nations, farmers, industry and the general public are a part of these committees, which are helping to protect the sources of over 450 municipal drinking water systems across Ontario.

All 22 plans have been submitted to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change for approval. All of these plans have been approved:

Ontario’s drinking water report card

Drinking water quality results

In 2014-15, 99.8 per cent of 642,373 drinking water tests from regulated drinking water systems met Ontario’s Drinking Water Quality Standards. For further details see appendix 1.

• 99.79 per cent of the 533,457 drinking water test results from 660^[1] municipal residential drinking water systems met the standards
• 99.46 per cent of 42,339 test results from 441 non-municipal year-round residential systems met the standards
• 99.60 per cent of 66,577 test results from 1,355 systems serving designated facilities met the standards

Figure 1: Trends in percentage of drinking water tests meeting Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards, by type of facility¹

Figure 1 CSV file

Drinking water quality standards

Our drinking water must meet Ontario’s 158 health-based standards for microbiological, chemical and radiological parameters. These standards are listed in O. Reg. 169/03 of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Drinking water quality standards and test results

Microbiological standards and test results

The presence of microbiological organisms in drinking water could result in serious health problems. For example, if total coliforms or Escherichia coli (E. coli) are positively confirmed in a drinking water sample, an adverse water quality incident is deemed to have occurred and the owner and/or operator of the drinking water system must take immediate corrective action.

Over the past 11 years, the percentage of drinking water test results meeting microbiological standards has remained consistently high.

Figure 2: Percentage of test results from municipal residential drinking water systems meeting Ontario’s Drinking Water Quality Standard, for E. coli by year

Figure 2 CSV file

Tables 2A-C: Breakdown of microbiological test results in 2014-15

Chemical and radiological standards and test results

Ontario’s drinking water quality standards establish the maximum allowable concentration of chemicals that can be present in drinking water. However, naturally occurring deposits such as fluoride or selenium may result in adverse chemical test results.

Parts of the province also contain naturally occurring deposits of radiological parameters such as uranium. In these areas, regular drinking water testing is required to monitor the level of these parameters in water to ensure that Ontario’s drinking water quality standards are being met.

Tables 3A-C: Number of chemical standard adverse test results by type of facility in 2014-15 ¹

Tables 4A-C: Percentage of test results meeting Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards by type of system

Tables 5A-C: Summary of drinking water test results for all facility types in 2014-15

Adverse water quality incidents and corrective actions

An adverse water quality incident is deemed to have occurred if a drinking water test result indicates a drinking water quality standard has not been met, or if an operational problem such as insufficient disinfection, high turbidity or equipment malfunction occurs at the drinking water system or facility. The report of an adverse water quality incident does not necessarily mean the drinking water is unsafe; it indicates that an incident has occurred and that corrective action must be taken.

Tables 6A-C: Summary of adverse water quality incidents (AWQIs) by drinking water facility type

Drinking water advisories

If there is concern that the water may not be safe for the public to drink, the local health unit may issue a drinking water advisory. A broken watermain, low water pressure, microbiological parameters in the water, low disinfectant levels or equipment failure at a drinking water system are some of the factors that could trigger an advisory.

In 2014-15, there were two municipal residential drinking water systems with long-term drinking water advisories:

1. Richmond Community Drinking Water System, located near St. Thomas, was issued a drinking water advisory in 2002 due to high nitrate levels in the source water. The Municipality of Bayham has installed a treatment system to help lower the nitrate levels below the standard and is monitoring drinking water monthly. As the treatment process to remove the nitrate led to high concentrations of sodium in drinking water, a second advisory was also issued specifically for those users who were on a sodium reduced diet.

   The nitrate advisory was rescinded in October 2015 as there was no nitrate exceedance in the source water since January 2014. The sodium advisory remains in effect.

2. Lynden Drinking Water System, located near Hamilton, continues to have a long-term drinking water advisory due to lead in their drinking water. Although the test results are below the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standard for lead in drinking water, the advisory will remain in place until lead concentrations in the drinking water supply are stable. According to the local medical officer of health, the current level of lead exposure does not represent an immediate health risk to residents. The advisory was issued to prevent potential long-term exposure to elevated concentrations of lead.

   The affected residents continue to be offered on-tap filters that are certified to remove lead. Studies to identify the source of the lead and options to address the issue, including searching for a replacement water source, are ongoing.

Lead action plan

In 2007, as part of Ontario’s Lead Action Plan, regulations were made to help minimize lead in drinking water. These regulations require regulated drinking water systems, schools and day nurseries^[2] to submit drinking water samples to laboratories to test for lead.

Lead testing results for municipal residential and non-municipal year-round residential systems

All municipal residential and non-municipal year-round residential drinking water systems are required to collect samples from homes (i.e. plumbing) and submit them to laboratories to test for lead.

Lead test results from these regulated systems indicate the vast majority of them continued to meet the provincial standard for lead in drinking water in 2014-15.

Lead control strategies

Where lead levels exceed the provincial standard for municipal residential drinking water systems, owners/operating authorities are required to develop a control strategy to reduce lead levels. These strategies may be comprised of one or a combination of:

• A corrosion control plan which may include the addition of a corrosion inhibitor to the treated water or the adjustment of the pH of the treated water.
• Replacement of lead service lines.
• Upgrades to a treatment plant.
• Public education and outreach to encourage homeowners to replace fixtures and plumbing that contain lead.

Owners and/or operating authorities of municipal residential drinking water systems that serve more than 100 private residences must develop corrosion control plans if:

• More than 10 per cent of the samples from homes (i.e. plumbing) confirm lead concentrations greater than the standard of 10 micrograms per litre in two out of three sampling rounds; and
• In those two rounds, at least two sample results exceed the standard.

No additional municipal residential drinking water systems had to prepare lead control strategies in 2014-15. The 20 municipalities that were previously required to prepare strategies continue to make significant progress to help address lead issues:

• Four municipalities have completed implementing their corrosion control plans.
• Two municipalities have completed implementing their corrosion control plans and are replacing lead service lines.
• Four municipalities are in the process of implementing their corrosion control plans.
• Two municipalities are in the process of implementing their corrosion control plans and replacing their lead service lines.
• Two municipalities replaced their lead service lines.
• Six municipalities are replacing lead service lines.

For further details, see appendix 2.

Lead testing results for schools and day nurseries

Schools and day nurseries are required to regularly flush their plumbing and must also test their drinking water regularly for lead. Flushing reduces potential lead levels in drinking water because it prevents water from standing in the plumbing, thereby reducing contact time with the pipes and plumbing. These facilities are required to sample their drinking water before and after they flush their plumbing.

Lead test results from schools and day nurseries continue to show that flushing significantly reduces lead in drinking water.

Inspecting drinking water systems and issuing orders

Municipal residential drinking water systems

Municipal residential drinking water systems are inspected annually by the ministry to determine whether they are meeting Ontario’s regulatory requirements.

Inspection results

During 2014-15, ministry staff inspected all 662^[3] municipal residential drinking water systems:

• Of these, 443 systems (or 67 per cent) received a perfect score (100 per cent rating).
• Six hundred and fifty-eight of the 662 (or 99.4 per cent) inspections resulted in inspection ratings greater than 80 per cent.

For further details see appendix 1.

Figure 3: Yearly comparison of municipal residential drinking water system inspection ratings¹

Figure 3 CSV file

² Between 2005-06 and 2007-08 the ministry completed its planned annual inspection program of all municipal residential drinking water systems in Ontario generating its annual inspection rating for each system. During this period, for a number of reasons some systems were inspected twice, e.g., to capture both their water treatment works and distribution systems or to ensure equipment had been properly decommissioned.

Orders and order resolutions

Contravention and/or preventative measures orders can be issued as a result of inspections, in response to incidents identified outside of an inspection or to prevent incidents from occurring. Ministry inspectors may issue orders to resolve and/or prevent non-compliance at a drinking water system.

In 2014-15, one municipal residential drinking water system owner received one preventative measures order as a result of an inspection, whereby watermains were not integrated into the system’s drawings within 12 months of the projects being completed. These incidents of non- compliance were reoccurrences from the inspection in 2013-14. The order has now been complied with.

Individuals who are responsible for delivering safe drinking water to the people of Ontario are held legally accountable for their actions. Ministry inspectors may refer violations of Ontario’s Safe Drinking Water Act to the ministry’s Investigations and Enforcement Branch for further action.

For further details on these orders, please see appendix 3.

Non-municipal year-round residential drinking water systems and systems serving designated facilities

The ministry uses a proactive, risk-based approach to determine which non-municipal year-round residential drinking water systems and systems serving designated facilities to inspect. Staff also take into consideration a system’s compliance history, how many adverse water quality incidents were issued and why, as well as recommendations from local public health units.

Inspection results and orders

In 2014-15, the ministry inspected 121 of the 454^[4] registered non-municipal year-round residential drinking water systems and issued six contravention and two preventative measures orders to eight systems.

In addition, 321 of 1,476^[5] registered systems serving designated facilities were inspected and two contravention orders were issued to two systems.

Orders were issued for the following reasons:

• Not operating a drinking water system with a certified operator
• Not meeting minimum treatment requirements
• Not sampling raw water for microbiological parameters according to legislation
• Not ensuring that a system is maintained in a fit state of repair

Local services boards

Seven local services boards in Ontario operate drinking water systems in northern communities without municipal government structures. In 2014-15, all were inspected. No orders were issued.

Schools and day nurseries

Whether connected to a municipal drinking water system or not, registered schools and day nurseries are inspected by the ministry to help reduce the risk of children being exposed to lead in drinking water. As with non-municipal year-round residential systems, the ministry uses a risk-based approach to determine which facilities should be inspected.

Over 98 per cent of the 6,859 Ontario schools and day nurseries that submitted flushed samples met the standard for lead. Less than two per cent that submitted flushed samples did not meet the lead standard. When this happens, these facilities take immediate corrective actions as directed by the local Medical Officer of Health. These actions may include one or more of the following:

• Increased flushing
• Resampling
• Bagging of water fountains
• Providing alternative sources of water until the issue is resolved
• Replacing of pipes or fixtures containing lead
• Posting signs

The ministry conducted 276 inspections and 110 compliance audits of 11,040 registered schools and day nurseries in 2014-15. No orders were issued.

To supplement the inspection program, the ministry requests newly registered schools and day nurseries to submit an online self-report. This allows the ministry to take a risk-based approach when selecting schools and day nurseries for inspection. In 2014-15, 445 newly registered schools and day nurseries participated in this annual self-reporting component. Of those facilities who reported a lead exceedance, 90.6 per cent indicated they followed the correct reporting and notification procedure.

Inspecting licensed and eligible laboratories

Ontario laboratories that test drinking water must be accredited by an accreditation body and licensed by the ministry. The ministry also uses laboratories that are located outside the province. For these laboratories to test Ontario’s drinking water, they too must be appropriately accredited and added to the ministry’s eligibility list.

To determine whether they are meeting regulatory requirements, all licensed and eligible laboratories are inspected by the ministry at least twice every year.

In 2014-15, all 52 licensed and eligible laboratories that conduct testing of Ontario’s drinking water were inspected twice. Sixty per cent of licensed and eligible laboratories had inspection ratings of 100 per cent. The ratings of all inspections were greater than 85 per cent.

One contravention order was issued to a non-licensed facility during this period. For further details on this order, please see appendix 4.

Compliance and Enforcement Regulation requirements

The Compliance and Enforcement Regulation (O. Reg. 242/05) of the Safe Drinking Water Act requires the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to carry out a number of specific activities such as taking mandatory actions and conducting inspections of municipal residential drinking water systems and laboratories that test Ontario’s drinking water.

Under the Compliance and Enforcement Regulation, the ministry is required to ensure all municipal residential drinking water systems are inspected annually and that one out of every three inspections is unannounced. In addition, the ministry must inspect all licensed and eligible laboratories at least twice a year ensuring that at least one inspection is unannounced.

In 2014-15, the ministry ensured all 662 municipal residential drinking water systems were inspected. As a result of administrative and scheduling issues, 10 of the drinking water systems inspected annually were not completed as unannounced but rather as announced. The ministry is taking corrective action to ensure all requirements under the Compliance and Enforcement Regulation are met including stricter adherence to standard operating procedures concerning scheduling of unannounced inspections. In addition, training will be provided to staff on the importance of the Compliance and Enforcement Regulation and its requirements.

The ministry met all its obligations for laboratories that test Ontario’s drinking water under this regulation.

Convictions

In 2014-15, there were 17 cases with convictions involving 20 regulated drinking water systems and facilities resulting in fines totalling $161,000.

Operator certification and training

Drinking water operators in Ontario must be trained according to the type and class of facility they operate. The more complex a system is (the higher the class of system), the more training an operator must complete. If an operator works in more than one type of drinking water system, he or she may hold multiple certificates.

In 2014-15, 1,299 operator-in-training certificates were issued to 754 operators. Of these, four were issued to four First Nations operators.

As of March 31, 2015, 6,388 drinking water operators held 8,916 certificates. One hundred and fifty-one of them were employed as First Nations system operators across the province. These operators held a total of 220 drinking water operator certificates.

Figure 4: Number of certified drinking water operators in Ontario

Figure 4 CSV file

One of the ministry’s key training partners is the Walkerton Clean Water Centre. The centre offers high quality hands-on operator training both on-site and throughout the province. As of March 31, 2015, the Walkerton Clean Water Centre has trained more than 55,700 new and existing professionals since it opened in 2004.

Operator certification — disciplinary actions

Operators play a key role in safeguarding Ontario’s drinking water, and ensuring the public is protected. Unethical behaviour does not happen often, but when it does, the ministry takes it very seriously. Depending on the severity of the incident, the ministry will revoke or suspend operator certificates/licences, or bar an operator from holding future certificates/licences.

During 2014-15, the ministry revoked one drinking water certificate held by one operator. One exam applicant also received a written reprimand. Please see appendix 10 for further details.

Small Drinking Water Systems Program – Ministry of Health and Long-term Care

Message from the Chief Medical Officer of Health

I am pleased to report that Ontario’s Small Drinking Water Systems Program continues to demonstrate its value in protecting the health of Ontarians with the release of the 2014-2015 program results.

Since 2008, this innovative program has been overseen by the Ministry of Health and Long- Term Care and administered by local boards of health. Public health inspectors conduct detailed inspections and risk assessments of all small drinking water systems in Ontario, and provide owner/operators with a customized site-specific plan to keep their drinking water safe. This individualized approach rather than a one-size-fits-all program, has reduced unnecessary burden on small system owner/operators while upholding strict provincial drinking water standards.

The success of the Small Drinking Water Systems Program is being realized through the identification of and corrective actions taken to reduce adverse water quality incidents in systems that were not previously inspected. This milestone in drinking water protection was made possible through effective partnerships with provincial and local public health officials.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the local boards of health and all of our partners for their ongoing efforts and leadership in the protection of public health on this key part of Ontario’s drinking water safety net.

David C. Williams, MD, MHSc, FRCPC
Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

Information in the Small Drinking Water Systems Program Results Section was provided by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. For more information about the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Small Drinking Water Systems Program, please click the link.

Small drinking water systems program results

Risk assessments

Across Ontario, thousands of businesses and other community sites in semi-rural to remote communities supply drinking water to the public. Many of these facilities do not obtain their drinking water from a municipal system. Most of these systems are classified as small drinking water systems.

As of March 31, 2015, there were approximately 10,000 small drinking water systems in Ontario. A number of small drinking water systems have multiple water sources with individual system units for each source. Many of these systems provide drinking water in restaurants, places of worship and community centres, resorts, rental cabins, motels, lodges, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds, among other public settings.

Owners and operators of small drinking water systems have primary responsibility for protecting the drinking water they provide to the public. They are also responsible for meeting Ontario’s regulatory requirements, including regular drinking water sampling and testing, and maintaining up-to-date records.

Through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Small Drinking Water Systems Program, regulated under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and its regulations, local boards of health (public health units) support operators in determining how to keep their water safe by applying a risk-based approach. Public health inspectors conduct a risk assessment of each small drinking water system and provide a customized directive for the owner and/or operator which may include requirements for water sampling, water treatment options, operational checks and operator training.

Information is collected during the initial on-site inspection about the water source, system equipment and components, and records relating to the system’s water testing. Data is inputted by the public health inspector into a web-based Risk Categorization Assessment Tool (RCat) that evaluates all the factors that could influence the drinking water produced by a system. Through the use of the RCat, the public health inspector determines a level of risk (low, moderate or high) for the drinking water system.

Systems categorized as "high risk" are monitored through more frequent sampling and testing, and are required to be inspected every two years. Moderate and low risk systems are also monitored through routine sampling and inspected at a frequency of every four years. During the scheduled inspections every two or four year cycle, the risk category is reviewed and updated. While many risk categories stay the same, some systems are re-classified to a lower category based on improved performance of the system and demonstrating a lower risk of unsafe water. Risk assessment data in Table 14 below includes initial site specific risk assessments and those conducted as part of the scheduled inspection cycle.

As of March 31, 2015, 14,584^[6] initial or scheduled risk assessments have been conducted for the approximately 10,000 small drinking water systems.

Adverse water quality incidents for small drinking water systems

In 2014-15, we continued to see gradual improvement in water sample quality with 97.60 per cent (up from 97.24 per cent in 2013-14) of test results submitted by laboratories on behalf of small drinking water systems meeting the provincial standards (see Table 15). The majority of adverse test results were microbiological (2,223), which is expected as over 99 per cent of water samples are tested for bacteria.

Operators are required to test for microbiological indicator organisms such as total coliform and E. coli at a frequency set out in their directive (or as per the regulation). Testing for other contaminants such as chemicals (e.g., nitrates) is only required where the risk assessment determines that other possible contaminants (e.g., agricultural runoff) could potentially pose a risk.

Regular sampling of drinking water systems is performed by operators who then submit the water samples to accredited laboratories for testing. Test results are recorded in the Laboratory Result Management System. In the event of an adverse test result, the laboratory notifies both the owner and/or operator of the small drinking water system and the local public health unit for immediate response.

An adverse test result does not necessarily mean that users are at risk of becoming ill. When an adverse test result occurs, immediate precautions are taken and drinking water advisories are issued where appropriate. During the current reporting period, 1,151 adverse water quality incidents (AWQIs) were identified by water test results and an additional 145 AWQIs were identified through other means such as observation of treatment malfunction. If an AWQI is suspected through observation or detected by a test result, a response process is initiated which includes notification of users and the local medical officer of health. Further follow-up is immediately taken (e.g., re-testing of water) to determine if the water poses a risk to health if consumed or used and additional action is taken as required.

The Laboratory Result Management System is used for review of small drinking water systems' sampling compliance, test results and AWQIs. In 2014-15, we saw decreases in adverse test results (17.42 per cent) and AWQIs (14.57 per cent) from the previous year, while the number of samples submitted remained relatively stable (five per cent decrease). The reduction in adverse results and incidents may be attributed to the implementation of the Small Drinking Water Systems Program which is now well established across the province.

The adverse water quality incident data continues to demonstrate the importance of the Small Drinking Water Systems Program by identifying and tracking these incidents so that immediate action is taken to help protect drinking water users.

Response to adverse water quality incidents for small drinking water systems

When an AWQI is detected, the owner and/or operator of the small drinking water system is required to notify the local medical officer of health and to follow up with any action that may be required. The public health unit will perform a risk analysis and take appropriate action to inform and protect the public.

Response to an AWQI may include issuing a drinking water advisory that will notify potential users whether the water is safe to use and drink or if it requires boiling to render it safe for use. The public health unit may also provide the owners and/or operators of a drinking water system with necessary corrective action(s) to be taken on the affected drinking water system to address the risk.

The comprehensive and proactive approach of the Small Drinking Water Systems Program is helping to minimize the occurrence of AWQIs and safeguard water that comes from small systems. The program supports operators who are working closely with the public health units to learn how to protect their water from contaminants at the source; how and when to test their water; treatment options and maintenance of equipment; notification procedures; and actions to address a problem.

The Small Drinking Water Systems Program demonstrates the Ontario government’s commitment to reduced regulatory burden, increased accountability and public transparency. Together we are upholding Justice O'Connor’s recommendations to ensure that drinking water quality standards established for the province are not compromised, and meeting these standards in a way that supports the needs of small system operators.

Glossary

Contravention order:

an order a provincial officer may issue under section 105 of the Safe Drinking Water Act if the provincial officer reasonably believes a person is contravening or has contravened a provision of the act or its regulations, an order issued under the act, or a condition in a certificate, permit, licence or approval issued under the act. It may require the ordered party to comply with any directions set out in the order within the time specified.

Corrosion inhibitor:

a chemical that prevents deterioration and leaching of lead from the interior surface of a service line or plumbing.

Drinking water advisory:

notice issued by a local medical officer of health when a drinking water problem cannot be corrected simply by boiling the water or through disinfection. Under a drinking water advisory, consumers are advised to use another source of drinking water until further notice.

Drinking water systems serving designated facilities:

drinking water systems that only serve designated facilities such as schools (elementary and public), universities, colleges, children and youth care facilities (including day nurseries), health care facilities, children’s camps and delivery agent care facilities (including certain hostels).

Escherichia coli (E. coli):

a species of bacteria naturally present in the intestines of humans and animals. If animal or human waste containing E. coli contaminates drinking water it may cause gastrointestinal disease in humans. Most types of E. coli are harmless, but some active strains produce harmful toxins and can cause severe illness and even death.

Local services boards:

provide services (including, in some cases, water services) to communities in areas of Northern Ontario without municipal structure. They are established pursuant to the Northern Services Boards Act. Drinking water systems run by local services boards are generally categorized as non-municipal year-round residential drinking water systems under O. Reg. 170/03.

Municipal residential drinking water systems:

drinking water systems (or part of a drinking water system) that are owned by and/or supply water to a municipality, that serve six or more private residences, and that meet other relevant criteria under the Safe Drinking Water Act and its regulations.

Non-municipal year-round residential drinking water systems:

drinking water systems that are not municipal systems (and are not seasonal residential systems) that serve six or more private residences or a trailer park or campground with more than five service connections.

Preventative measures order:

an order that a provincial officer may issue under section 106 of the Safe Drinking Water Act to a person who owns, manages or has control of a municipal drinking water system or a regulated non-municipal drinking water system, if the provincial officer considers it necessary for the purposes of the act. Such an order may be issued in the absence of a contravention, and is used to prevent possible future adverse effects.

Radiological parameter:

refers to radionuclides which are an unstable form of a chemical element that decays and results in the emission of nuclear radiation.

Risk-based approach:

a method for which the goal is to prevent, reduce and/or eliminate adverse effects.

Total coliform:

a group of waterborne bacteria consisting of three main groups with common characteristics that are used to indicate water quality. The presence of total coliform bacteria in water leaving a treatment plant or in any treated water immediately after treatment could indicate inadequate treatment and possible water contamination.

Trihalomethanes:

a group of compounds that can form when the chlorine used to disinfect drinking water reacts with naturally occurring organic matter (e.g., decaying leaves and vegetation).

Water quality:

a term used to describe the biological, chemical, physical and radiological characteristics of water, usually with respect to its suitability for a particular purpose, such as drinking.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Municipal residential drinking water systems' 2014-15 inspection ratings and drinking water quality results (percentage of tests meeting standards)

Appendix 2: Status of lead control strategy in 2014-15

Appendix 3: Summary of municipal residential drinking water systems receiving orders in 2014-15

Appendix 4: Summary of non-licensed facilities receiving orders in 2014-15

Appendix 5: Summary of municipal residential drinking water system convictions – April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015¹

Appendix 6: Summary of non-municipal year-round residential drinking water system convictions – April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015¹

Appendix 7: Summary of systems serving designated facilities convictions – April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015¹

Appendix 8: Summary of non-licensed facility convictions – April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015¹

Appendix 9: Summary of drinking water consultant convictions – April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015¹

Appendix 10: Disciplinary actions taken against certified drinking water operators in 2014-2015