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Report to: General Committee Date Report Authored: July 7, 2010
SUBJECT: 2010 Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) Drinking Water Distribution System Inspection
PREPARED BY: Fiona McArthur, Water Quality Coordinator, X 2449
RECOMMENDATION:
1) THAT the report titled “2010 Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) Drinking Water Distribution System Inspection” be received;
2) AND FURTHER that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not Applicable
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to provide Council with an update on the findings of the Ministry of the Environment’s (MOE) inspection of the Markham Water Distribution system for 2010.
BACKGROUND:
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) enacted in 2002 gives the MOE broad powers to inspect a drinking water facility to ensure compliance with all regulations and requirements. The inspectors have the ability to enter a facility and require production of documents at any time.
On May 18, 2010, a drinking water inspector conducted an announced, stand-alone inspection of the Town of Markham drinking water system. The MOE inspector reviewed Waterworks policies, procedures and records for the period of Oct 6, 2009 to May 18, 2010. On June 8, 2010 the inspector collected samples from throughout the drinking water system as part of the inspection.
The MOE inspection report was received on June 30, 2010 (see Attachment “A”) and Markham was found to be in 95.38% compliance. This number is determined using a risk assessment method. Marks were deducted due to a single reporting non-compliance which was reported and rectified with corrective actions and extra training. Recommendations received in the report include the continuation of our proactive leak detection program, secondary spill containment for sodium hypochlorite and clear identification of notations in the log book.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Non-compliance with regulatory requirements:
During the seven month period covered by the audit, the Waterworks department became aware of an adverse combined chlorine residual which had been collected in September of 2009. The initial 1-minute reading, in a series of chlorine residuals taken as part of a dead-end flushing exercise, was below the minimum level established by the MOE and not reported. The operator undertook all necessary corrective actions to ensure the safety of the Markham Distribution system was not compromised; he was able to immediately achieve levels of combined chlorine sufficient to achieve disinfection. During preparation of the annual water quality report the deficiency was discovered. In accordance with the SDWA, the Waterworks department immediately reported the non-compliance to the MOE and the operating Top Management for the Town of Markham (See Attachments B and C for detailed explanations). The Waterworks department instituted corrective measures, including the retraining of the staff involved, signs posted throughout the offices and a move towards an automated notification system which would assist Operators in determining if a result should be reported to the MOE. These proactive corrective actions were recognized and acknowledged by the MOE during the course of their inspection. The MOE uses a scoring method during an inspection in which each question posed by the inspector has an associated risk penalty in the final score. Because of the delay in reporting an adverse combined chlorine reading the risk associated with that activity resulted in our score of 95.38%. In the course of their inspection no water quality risks or operational deficiencies were found or observed by the MOE.
MOE Best Practice Issues and Recommendations:
The MOE made three separate recommendations during the course of their inspection to address either areas which will improve our service to the residents or where issues were noted during the course of the inspection. It is recommended that the Waterworks department continue in its proactive leak detection strategy. In addition, the department is in the process of developing District Management Areas (DMA) which will allow Markham to monitor the system for anomalies and informed decision making including data trending.
During the course of the inspection, 34 separate instances were noted where the Operator making a notation in the log book had failed to clearly identify the author of the note. Although supervisors were able to identify which staff members were making notations based on other documents, it is recommended that all notations and changes made in the log book be clearly identified. To ensure this occurs, the Overall Responsible Operator will ensure all notations are clearly identified.
A final best practice recommendation involves a request for secondary containment in case of spills for the bulk storage of sodium hypochlorite 12%. Currently, Markham is in the process of evaluating the best type of secondary containment easily available for the existing explosion-proof locker.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not Applicable
HUMAN RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not Applicable
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
Not Applicable
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Not Applicable
The report presented herein,
communicates the results of the 2010 MOE Inspection held on May 18, 2010 and
action items identified by
The undersigned represent
the Top Management of Town of Markham’s Drinking Water Distribution System and
by signing below, the Top Management of the Operating Authority has reviewed
the MOE Best Practice Issues and Recommendations as identified in the MOE
Inspection and as well any action items as identified by
RECOMMENDED
BY: ________________________ ________________________
Jerry Klaus, Peter Loukes, P. Eng.
General Manager,
________________________
Brenda Librecz
Commissioner, Community & Fire Services
________________________
John Livey
Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Markham Distribution System/Drinking Water System Inspection Report, May 18, 2010
Attachment B – Council Report - 2009 Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) Drinking Water Distribution System Inspection
Attachment C – Council Report - Annual Water Quality Report (January – December, 2009)