Water Services National Training Group Best Practice in the Management of Drinking Water

1. Water Services National Training GroupBest Practice in the Management of Drinking Water Cait Gleeson Senior Executive Scientist Limerick County Council

2. Drinking Water Quality Old System New System • Moving from a system that worked to one that is a high-tech fully controlled system delivering a high quality product.

3. Drinking Water Quality • We are developing control so that when a ‘orange light goes off’ we can respond before the problem manifests itself in the final product.

4. Our New World • European Communities (Drinking Water ) (No 2) Regulations 2007 • Water Quality Standards and new quality limits with staggered deadlines • EPA enforcement role over Local Authorities • Indictable offences • Local Authority enforcement role over Group Water Schemes • Monitoring Programmes

5. Regulations & Guidance Available • European Communities (Quality of Surface Water Intended for the Abstraction of Drinking Waters) Regulations 1989 • European Communities (Drinking Water) (No 2) Regulations 2007 • Fluoridation of Water supplies Regulations 2007 • Water Services Act 2007

6. Regulations & Guidance Available • Health & Safety Regulations • Nitrates Regulations 2005 • Water Pollution Acts 1977 & 1990

7. Regulations & Guidance Available • EC Drinking Water Regulations 2000, A Handbook on implementation for Local Authorities • Guidance on Regulations 9 & 10 of the EC (DW) (No2) Regulations 2007 • Annual Reporting of Monitoring Results to the EPA

8. Regulations & Guidance Available • Guidance for Local Authorities on the Development of a Remedial Action List for public water supplies • Guidance on risk screening for Local Authorities • Code of Practice on Fluoridation of Drinking Water 2007

9. Regulations & Guidance Available • EPA Drinking Water Guidance Circular: Disinfection of Water Supplies • EPA Advice on Lead Connections

10. Regulations & Guidance Available • EPA Water Treatment Suite of Manuals • WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality • Drinking Water Inspectorate - UK

11. Routine Implementation • Sampling programmes • Check Monitoring • Audit Monitoring • Laboratories • Local Authorities • EPA • Public Analyst • Private

12. Mechanics of Implementing the Regulation in the event of a quality failure • Failure of a chemical or microbiological parameter • Detect the quality failure • Response • Consultation with the HSE • Notification of the public • Site specific issues • Wider customer groups • Notification of the EPA • Return water to acceptable quality • Incident Close Out and Review

13. Typical Response – quality failure • First 30 minutes • Verify result and sampling location • Notify Area Manager to immediately start an investigation of the treatment plant and distribution system • Contact the HSE and discuss the issue – written request for advice issued. • Decide if the seriousness of the issue merits a meeting with HSE

14. Typical Response – quality failure .

15. Typical Response – quality failure

16. What Type of failures need to be notified to the EPA

17. [1] If the failure was a microbiological failure please indicate the residual chlorine levels at the time.

18. Limerick County CouncilDrinking Water Incident Log Sheet

19. Limerick County CouncilDrinking Water Incident Log Sheet

20. Limerick County CouncilDrinking Water Incident Log Sheet

21. Typical Response – quality failure • Return water to acceptable quality • Prove that this is the case • Agree that any health concern is over with HSE • Review the incident and close out • Follow up legal action against polluters if appropriate

22. L.A. relationship with Group Water Schemes • Monitor quality and compliance • Ability to serve notices requiring the production of an Action Plan. • Licensing – not yet in force • We currently have blunt control without a tool for fine control

23. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • Faster Response time to all parametric failures • Initial response time in the event of a Q.F. now aiming for 30 minutes • More rigorous response to quality failures • Now investigate EVERY failure • Example a taste incident resulted in 396 tests being carried out on a water supply • Response has lead to a doubling of the throughput in the laboratory alone to date in 2008

24. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • Much more frequent communication with the HSE • Consultation within HSE between PEHO & Director of Public Health or their agents to arrive agree the health advice.

25. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • Upgraded treatment by installation of • SCADA • Alarmed Chlorine Monitors • Alarmed Turbidity Monitors • Improved Telemetry • Upgrade of treatment plants WRT Safety Issues e.g. Site Security

26. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • More focused management • Water Safety Plans • Drinking Water Incident Response Plans • Change of attitude – second best is worse than nothing at all sometimes

27. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • More frequent communication with our customers • How we notify customers in the event of a quality or supply failure • How we provide information to customers on their water supply • How customers can communicate with us • Tracking • Responding

28. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • Source Protection • Full source protection at both ground water and surface water sources • Rigorous planning controls and pollution controls within the zones

29. Changes in 2007/8 in how Local Authorities work • Use of non traditional staff in source protection • Added layer of protection for sources and water supplies • New layer of protection is cost neutral • Reduces Cryptosporidium monitoring costs • Helps focus resources

30. Change of attitude • We are moving from an attitude that ‘there is nothing wrong with the water’ to a commitment to proving that there is nothing wrong with the water and to closing out any non conformances rapidly

31. The professionally delivered service • We are in the business of food production • Issues of safety, cleanliness, raw material protection, product standard, customer protection, HACCP and overall quality control must meet a food production standard

32. The professionally delivered service • Customers receive our product 24 hours a day 7 days a week. • We work 9:30 to 5 Monday to Friday • This is no longer acceptable

33. The professionally delivered service • Introducing On-call for laboratory staff and process technicians - initially • Cover after hours and weekend emergencies • Changed working hours to allow the laboratory achieve the work rate we need and to be able to respond to incidents promptly (cost neutral) • Making better use of the resources we have • Caretaker sampling • Volunteer sampler groups ( Co Co staff all grades) • ‘Taxi’ lines

34. The professionally delivered service • Being proactive on quality • Intensive Nitrate Surveys • County wide Lead monitoring • County wide THM monitoring

35. The professionally delivered service • How compliant are we – 90’s% • How compliant do we need to be? 99.999%? • EPA guidance!! • 6 Sigma type approach to drinking water production • reduce process variability

36. The Way We Were

37. The Way We Are

39. Acknowledgements • Management Team • Operational & Maintenance Team • Audit Team/Quality Control • HSE • EPA • Customers

40. Thank you