COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council receive the 2010 Drinking Water Quality Management System
Annual Report.
Recommandation du COMITÉ
Que le Conseil prennent connaissance du rapport annuel 2010 du système
de gestion de la qualité de l’eau potable.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Deputy City
Manager, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability report dated
13 September 2011 (ACS2011-ICS-ESD-0037);
2.
Extract of Draft
Minutes, 20 September 2011
Report to/Rapport au :
Environment Committee /
Comité de l’environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
September 13, 2011 / le 13 septembre
2011
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager /
Directrice municipale adjointe
Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability /
Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact Person/Personne-ressource : Dixon Weir, General
Manager/Directeur général
Environmental
Services / Services environnementaux
(613) 580-2424 x22002, Dixon.Weir@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
Rapport annuel 2010 du système de gestion de la qualité de l’eau
potable |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Environment
Committee and Council receive the 2010 Drinking Water Quality Management System
Annual Report.
Recommandation
du rapport
Que le Comité de
l’environnement et le Conseil municipal prennent connaissance du rapport
annuel 2010 du système de gestion de la qualité de l’eau potable.
Executive
Summary
A requirement of the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS) Operational Plan is for the Quality Management System (QMS) Representative to ensure annual management review results are conveyed to Top Management and the Owner (Council).
This report fulfills that requirement.
This report contains a summary of information that Top Management must review annually in accordance with the Management Standard.
The DWQMS is the key tool that supports and assures Council, as the Owner of the drinking water systems, is meeting its duties and responsibilities under the Safe Drinking Water Act and Standard of Care.
The DWQMS has been inherently designed for continual improvement, which is the foundation of the DWQMS Policy endorsed by Top Management and Council.
The current review considers the entire 2010 calendar year (the “review period”) and where appropriate, touches on activities continuing in 2011. The review encompasses all six drinking water systems owned and operated by the City of Ottawa, namely: the central system (Britannia and Lemieux Island Water Purification Plants and central water distribution system) and the Carp, Richmond-Kings Park, Munster Hamlet, Greely-Shadow Ridge and Vars well systems.
The DWQMS sets out a mandatory list of 16 issues to be examined during annual reviews and reports. These are dealt with specifically in the Discussion section of this report.
The detailed results have been reviewed by Top Management in accordance with the DWQMS management review system procedure.
Highlights of the review findings are:
- The City’s seven drinking water production facilities scored 100 per cent across the board after detailed Ministry of the Environment inspections;
- The water quality testing program meets or is better than regulations;
- Maintenance procedures are appropriate;
- Any shortcomings are minor and addressed in an appropriate and timely manner;
- The operator certification program is working; and,
- Staff is following procedures and showing a commitment to continual improvement.
The following are recommendations that Top Management have committed to as part of the management review:
- That Production Management staff provide resources necessary to complete the standard operating procedures associated with critical control points identified in the risk assessment process.
- Since cross-connections were identified as a risk in the water distribution system, that the report “Protection of Municipal Drinking Water from Cross Connections” be finalized and submitted to Environment Committee and Council for consideration.
- Council recently passed a resolution to conduct a water distribution vulnerability assessment as a result of the Woodroffe watermain failure. Operational Top Management will investigate the potential to incorporate the process and results into the annual risk assessment process of the DWQMS.
- The increased calibration and maintenance of on-line analyzers, associated with the implementation of the Operational Plan, has caused resourcing constraints. Plant Managers will review this workload and recommend whether additional resources are required.
In short, the 2010 Annual Report
shows the DWQMS has been implemented successfully, identified no major
issues, and reinforces the fact that the
City of Ottawa produces and supplies some of the best-quality and safest drinking
water in the world.
Financial Implications:
This report has no financial implications.
Public Consultation/Input:
Public consultation is not required.
Background
On November 28, 2008, City Council endorsed the City’s Quality Management System (QMS) also known as the Operational Plan (ACS2008-ICS-WWS-0020), which is in conformance with Ministry of Environment standards. The City of Ottawa obtained its interim accreditation[1] as an Operating Authority from the Canadian General Standards Board on April 29, 2009 (this was conveyed to Mayor and Members of Council under a memo, Municipal Drinking Water Licences, dated August 18, 2009).
A requirement of the Operational Plan is for the QMS Representative to ensure the management review results are conveyed to Top Management and to the Owner (Council). The main purpose of this report is to provide the Owner with an update on the implementation and the performance of the QMS.
As the Owner of the municipal drinking water systems, Council has a number of duties and responsibilities under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which are described in sections 11, 13, 16 and 17. The duties of the Owner related to the Standard of Care are described under section 19 (expected to come into force January 1, 2013).
One of the primary tools that the Owner (Council) has in place to satisfy the Standard of Care under the Safe Drinking Water Act is by having Municipal Drinking Water Licences in place for all of its drinking water systems[2]. The elements of the Licence include:
- A permit to take water;
- A drinking water works permit;
- An operational plan;
- A financial plan; and,
- An accredited operating authority.
On August 18, 2009, the Environmental Services Department circulated a memo to Mayor and Members of Council providing them with a status update on the City’s Municipal Drinking Water Licences. In summary, the Owner had met items 1 through 5 listed above, and the City has obtained licences for all of its drinking water systems.
The final requirement is for the Operating Authority to receive its Full Scope Accreditation, and in order to receive it, the Operating Authority must have a successful on-site external audit of its Operational Plan conducted by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB). The Operating Authority submitted the application for the external audit to the Board on April 26, 2010, and the on-site verification audit was conducted from May 9 - 13, 2011. The final report by CGSB, which will recommend whether the City has obtained its Full Scope accreditation, is imminent.
DISCUSSION
Document 1 provides a description of the QMS management structure and roles and responsibilities.
The following is a summary of information that Top Management must review annually in accordance with the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Management Standard. The current review considers the entire 2010 calendar year (the “review period”) and where appropriate, touches on activities continuing in 2011. The detailed results have been reviewed by Top Management in accordance with the DWQMS management review system procedure. The following 16 aspects must be considered in the annual review:
1. Incidents of regulatory non-compliance
2. Incidents of adverse drinking water tests
3. Deviations from critical control point limits and response actions
4. Efficacy of the risk assessment process
5. Results of audits (internal and external)
6. Results of relevant emergency response testing
7. Operational performance
8. Raw water supply and drinking water quality trends
9. Follow-up action items from previous management reviews
10. Status of management action items identified between reviews
11. Changes that could affect the QMS
12. Summary of consumer feedback
13. Resources needed to maintain the QMS
14. Results of the infrastructure review
15. Operational Plan currency, content and updates
16. Summary of staff suggestions
The review of these aspects encompasses all six drinking water systems owned and operated by the City of Ottawa, namely: the central system (Britannia and Lemieux Island Water Purification Plants and central water distribution system) and the Carp, Richmond-Kings Park, Munster Hamlet, Greely-Shadow Ridge and Vars well systems.
The management review encompasses many aspects of the operation, maintenance and renewal of the drinking water systems. The material was reviewed by both Operational and Corporate Top Management over several days on May 19, 26, June 3 and 8.
a) Incidents of regulatory non-compliance
i. Ministry of Environment (MOE) inspection reports: All waterworks were inspected during 2010 or early 2011 by the MOE. There were no items of regulatory non-compliance and no Best Practice recommendations made. For the 2010 inspection year, each water system received an inspection rating of 100 per cent. This represents a considerable achievement for the Drinking Water Services staff and its business partners.
ii. Operator Certification Records: All of Ottawa’s water treatment and distribution systems were operated at all times by certified operators. Considerable management effort and documentation is required to provide training and maintain valid certificates for the 221 certified operators and staff are continuing to streamline and document the certification and renewal process.
iii. Water Flow Rate Trends: There were no cases of daily “raw” water taking exceeding the permitted values stipulated in the Permits to Take Water.
iv. Water Quality Testing Records: The City of Ottawa water quality testing program has been intentionally designed to provide more than the required amount of sampling and testing to meet regulations. All Ontario requirements for microbiological, inorganic and organic testing were met with one minor exception: the seven required chlorine residual tests were taken for the Vars well system, but the time period between samples did not match the regulatory requirement (48 hours). Operational changes were made to ensure that 12 to 16 samples are being taken each week by different staff and this will meet the regulatory requirements.
v. Community Lead Testing Regulation: As required by the lead testing regulation, community lead testing was carried out during the first quarter of 2010 and again in the summer. The 90th percentile lead concentrations were found to be within the 10.0 mg/L criteria for the central system and the Shadow Ridge well system (central = 6.0 mg/L; well systems = 2.0 – 2.5 mg/L). The other communal well systems received a three-year relief from the mandatory sampling since previous test results were within the 90th percentile criteria of 10.0 mg/L.
vi. MOE Orders: A charge was filed against the City of Ottawa by the MOE on February 4, 2010 relating to the discharge of 600 m3 of backwash water from the Lemieux Island WPP into the Ottawa River on September 10, 2008. The charge relates to a failure to have the proper documentation in place. On June 7, 2011, the City Solicitor submitted a memo to the Mayor and Council, which detailed the resolution reached with the MOE on this matter.
vii. Annual and Summary Reports: O.Reg.170/03 requires the Owner and the Operating Authority to prepare Annual Reports and Summary Reports for each of the waterworks. The seven Annual Reports for 2010 were completed within the required timeframe (by February 28, 2011) and were posted on the City of Ottawa’s website the following week. Furthermore, the Summary Reports for 2010 were completed by March 31, 2011 and were distributed to City Council as required by the regulation.
b) Incidents of adverse drinking water tests
The drinking water regulations identify several Indicators of Adverse Water Quality Incidents (AWQI) for which the Operating Authority must immediately notify health officials and the Ministry of Environment (MOE), and carry out specific corrective actions. During January to December 2010, there were a total of 11 Adverse Water Quality Incidents, the lowest to date. This improvement can be attributed primarily to operational changes and in part to the implementation of the DWQMS.
For each event, Drinking Water Services staff immediately notified the City of Ottawa Public Health Department and the MOE as required by the regulation. In all cases, written reports were prepared and sent to the MOE and the Public Health Department within 24 hours of the verbal notification, and corrective actions and re-sampling were carried out to resolve the incident. It should be noted that none of the adverse water quality events resulted in any indication of adverse health impacts or illness to the public.
c) Deviations from critical
control point limits and response actions
Through the DWQMS risk assessment process, seven Critical Control Points (CCPs) were identified within Water Production and four CCPs were identified for Water Distribution. Critical Control Limits (CCLs) were subsequently identified for each of these CCPs. The CCLs are self-imposed limits and are typically more stringent than MOE Drinking Water Standards or Municipal Drinking Water licence requirements. The identification of CCPs and associated CCLs results in a more rigorous screening of potential risks to water quality and is one benefit of the implementation of the DWQMS.
Deviations from CCLs do occur from time to time and do not necessarily mean that unsafe drinking water was delivered to the consumer. However, CCL deviations do require prompt action from water system operators to remediate the problem and prevent the passage of potentially unsafe water. A total of 28 CCL deviations were identified in 2010 at the water purification plants, and 2 CCL deviations were identified in the distribution system. The CCL deviations associated with the water purification plants were related mostly to the filtration and disinfection systems; and the distribution system CCLs were attributed to a localized depressurization and a backflow event from a car wash. All CCL deviations were promptly dealt with and follow up improvements have been made. At no time was unsafe drinking water delivered to the consumer.
Significant improvements were observed in 2010 in identifying and responding to Water Production CCL deviations. A technical working group consisting of Lemieux Island and Britannia Plant Managers, Operations Engineers, Water Quality Engineer, Water Quality Supervisor, Water Quality Technologists and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) Coordinator met every two months to review CCL deviations, identify root causes, and assign corrective actions. There were also improvements in training and on-going awareness of Water Distribution CCL deviations.
d) Efficacy of the risk assessment process
A major review of the risk assessments for both treatment and distribution were reviewed and updated in 2010. In accordance with the DWQMS, a major review is required every three years. The type and number of critical control points (CPPs) have not changed from the 2009 review: seven CCPs were identified in Water Production and four CCPs were identified in Water Distribution. Following the review, Production and Distribution staff were trained on the revised CCPs during 2010 and 2011, including the preparation of a Quick Reference Sheet for Water Production Operators. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are being developed accordingly for the new CCPs, including identification of Critical Control Limits.
The 2010 risk assessment outlined three important recommendations:
- That Production Management staff provide resources necessary to complete the SOPs associated with the CPPs.
- Since cross-connections were identified as a risk in the water distribution system, that the report “Protection of Municipal Drinking Water from Cross Connections” be finalized and submitted to Environment Committee and Council for consideration.
- Council recently passed a resolution to conduct a water distribution vulnerability assessment as a result of the Woodroffe watermain failure. Operational Top Management will investigate the potential to incorporate the process and results into the annual risk assessment process of the DWQMS.
e) Results of audits (internal
and external)
The Drinking Water Quality Management Standard requires the Operating Authority to conduct an internal audit at least once every 12 months. Furthermore, as part of the DWQMS Accreditation process for Operating Authorities, an external audit is conducted by an Accreditation body in response to an Operating Authority’s application for accreditation.
Internal Audit: The 2010 audit focused on five elements of the DWQMS, which resulted in 80 to 90 percent of the total number of non-conformances in 2009: documents and records management, critical control limit deviations and associated procedures, essential supplies and services table, calibration and maintenance of monitoring equipment table, and continual improvement process. The 2010 internal audit report noted significant progress in implementing the DWQMS and that most areas of non-conformance identified in 2009 had been corrected. There were no major non-conformances identified in the internal audit, and minor non-conformances were related to: drawings management, documents and records control, standard operating procedures on Production CCPs, training on water distribution CCPs and CCLs, and DWQMS awareness training for new or returning staff.
External Audit: Ottawa received ‘Limited Scope – Entire DWQMS’ accreditation on April 29, 2009 based on a desk-top audit of the DWQMS Operational Plan by the Canadian General Standards Board[3] (CGSB). DWQMS implementation continued during the remainder of 2009 and we submitted our application for ‘Full Scope – Entire DWQMS’ accreditation on April 26, 2010. The external audit was conducted on May 9-13, 2011 by CGSB and their final report, which will recommend whether the City has obtained its Full Scope accreditation, is imminent.
f) Results of
relevant emergency response testing
On June 17, 2010, an emergency exercise was conducted involving Drinking Water Services and the Office of Emergency Management. The exercised, dubbed “Exercise Urban Drought”, included a mock scenario whereby two major plant and instrumentation failures occurred during a period of particularly high demand. The exercise also included a second phase whereby the EOC-CG (Emergency Operations Centre Control Group) conducted one Analysis and Planning Coordination Cycle. Both exercises demonstrated overall staff competency and ability to respond to an incident (e.g., technical and communications skills); and it also demonstrated staff knowledge of the Incident Management System. Additionally, valuable IERP (Incident Escalation and Response Plan) improvements were documented which will be updated in Q3 2011.
g) Operational performance
In order to track operational performance, 20 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been developed in the following categories: Customer Services, Water Distribution, Water Production and Water Quality. Trends during 2006-2010 were documented for the management review. Highlights are presented below.
Customer Services KPIs: The
number of general water quality investigations was fairly consistent in 2009
and 2010 after an increase of almost 50% in the 2007 and 2009 period, as a
direct result of the mail-out of Lead Pipe Replacement Program brochures in
those years. The average time taken to
resolve customer complaints has been relatively steady; however, improvements
were made in the time period to initiate site visits after the initial request was
made.
Water
Distribution KPIs: The KPIs for
Water Distribution give an indication of the effectiveness and the efficiency
of the corrective and preventative maintenance programs. The cost of the repair and component renewal
is decreasing, even if a slight increase is noted in 2010. The Infrastructure Leakage Index has stayed
below the City’s maximum target of 4 since 2008.
Water
Production KPIs: Water Production
performance targets have remained relatively consistent over the previous
years. During 2010, Water Production
reduced its capital and corrective maintenance activities, resulting in an
increase in productivity for the preventative maintenance program. This is a desired outcome since most Best
Practices maintenance programs should focus primarily on preventative
maintenance activities.
Water
Quality KPIs: The
2010 performance measures for Water Quality indicate ongoing high quality
drinking water. A 100 per cent rating
for microbiological quality indicates that the treatment process effectively
removed pathogens at all times.
Similarly, a 100 per cent rating for chemical water quality indicates
that all water quality tests were within the provincial and federal standards
for safe drinking water.
h) Raw water supply and drinking water quality trends
The Ottawa River provides a steady and abundant supply of source water for the treatment plants. Raw water quality monitoring for 2010 covered 420 test parameters. Our source water monitoring program greatly exceeds the MOE requirements and is likely the most extensive in Canada.
In general, raw water trends were found to show typical levels of variation during 2010. There were no indications of raw water quality that would cause difficulties for the treatment process. However, further work will be conducted to identify the sources and extent of microbial contaminants including bacteriological indicators, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia as well as selected trace pharmaceutical compounds.
i) Follow up items from previous management
review
There were 24 specific action items arising from the previous management review, of which 51 per cent had been addressed by the end of Q2 2011. Some items must be addressed over the long term, but it is expected that all of the remaining items will be completed by the time of the next management review in 2012. Action items have been prioritized and are being tracked to completion on a continual improvement table.
j) Status of management action items identified between reviews
No additional management items were identified since the last review.
k) Changes that could
affect the QMS
Implementation of the Environmental Services Department’s Strategic Alignment Initiative has resulted in organizational changes that must be reflected in the DWQMS. Major changes include the creation of two new branches for Environmental Engineering and Business Services. Other specific elements within the QMS will be reviewed to ensure that any changes are correctly reflected. Changes outside the Department are not anticipated; however, staff will ensure that these changes are reflected in the QMS accordingly as they become evident.
l) Summary of
consumer feedback
In 2010, the City of Ottawa received 16,561 customer inquiries related to the quality and quantity of water (telephone inquiries to 3-1-1 Call Centre and Water and Wastewater Customer Information Centre, and emails to Info-Water@ottawa.ca and waterwise@ottawa.ca, applications for various programs). Customer Information Clerks answer water quality questions, interview customers and initiate “service requests”. If a customer service visit is required, results are communicated to the customer after the investigation has been completed. In 2010, customer inquiries generated 1,397 service requests and resulted in a further 1,039 customer visits related to water quality and quantity. Of the 477 customer visits in 2010 related to water quality, the most frequent issue stated (86%) was discoloured water.
m) Resources needed to maintain the QMS
The increased calibration and maintenance of on-line analyzers, associated with the implementation of the DWQMS, has caused resourcing constraints. Specifically, the Water Quality Technologists have seen an increase in the time spent for the calibration and maintenance of these analyzers at the expense of other duties and responsibilities. Management will investigate the resources needed to maintain the analyzers at the water purification plants, remote stations, and communal well systems.
Additionally, Plant Managers will review workload and assess the increase as a result of the risk assessment processes, including outstanding action items from the CCL deviations review. Recommendations and rationale from this review will be provided for the 2011 review period of the management review.
n)
Results of the infrastructure review
The reporting framework for the annual Infrastructure Review has been revised for 2010. The newly created Environmental Engineering Branch in ESD has the responsibility for conducting the annual review of the infrastructure program. The following is a summary of information that will be provided as part of this review.
Asset Inventory and Valuation: In 2010, the water distribution system increased by about 33 km.
Asset Performance: The physical performance of the water production facilities are rated as good. Plant operations were not impacted by any major equipment failures and achieved expected service level expectations. During 2010, the water purification plants produced an average of 289 ML/day which is a slight decrease of 1.5% from 2009. Water distribution performance will be evaluated as part of the Capacity Assessment section which is to be developed.
Rehabilitation and Renewal: The approved capital program for Water Distribution represented 30 design and construction projects representing about $42 M in capital funding. As of the end of 2010, 83% of the projects were initiated, 10% were complete, and 7% were to be rescheduled. The Water Production renewal program fell short again in 2010. Approved increases in staffing levels were not in place until Q4 2010 and Q1 2011. The Operational Improvement Programs for water distribution aimed at addressing annual corrective maintenance requirements were close to anticipated 2010 targets. The small infrastructure renewal program is meeting required service levels.
Infrastructure Investment: The water distribution network Asset Condition Index (ACI) remains at less than 1% indicative that for 2010 overall, the funding is generally good. A review of rate funding proportions for road reconstruction cost as part of integrated projects was initiated in 2010. The initial review identified that some additional reinstatement cost could be taken on by the Water and Wastewater Rate funds. A review of project implementation approaches was also initiated in 2010 with a view to move toward maximizing stand alone water project candidates.
o) Operational plan currency, content and updates
The current version of the Operational Plan is Revision 0.2 dated April 16, 2010. This is the version that was submitted to CGSB for both the desktop and on-site verification audits. Revision 0.3 is underway and should be complete by Q3 2011 and will incorporate improvements, updates and changes resulting from the Environmental Services Department’s Strategic Alignment Initiative among other suggestions and improvements.
p) Summary of staff suggestions
Staff members are invited to offer suggestions that would improve the DWQMS, reduce the risk of non-compliance or improve drinking water production and distribution operations. The invitation is made informally during normal conversations, meetings or staff training sessions. Staff suggestions that are pertinent to the DWQMS or Operating Authority operations are recorded in a continual improvement table and a lead is assigned to assess the merit of the suggestion and determine a response. Although progress is being made in other higher priority continual improvement areas, it has not yet been possible to fully address staff suggestions made to date.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no rural implications associated with any of the recommendations in this report.
CONSULTATION
Public consultation is not required.
Comments by the Ward Councillor(s)
This is a City-wide report.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal impediments to receiving this report.
There are no risk management impediments to implementing any of the recommendations in this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
This report has no financial
implications.
Technology
Implications
There are no Technical Implications associated with
this report.
City
Strategic Plan
This report supports Planning and Environment
Committee’s strategic priorities (ACS2009-ICS-DCM-0003) for Environmental
Services to rebuild the brand and public trust.
It also confirms that the residents of the City of Ottawa continue to be
supplied with reliable, high quality drinking water.
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 – Definitions and organizational charts of the DWQMS management structure
DISPOSITION
That Committee and Council receive this report for information and to
satisfy the regulatory requirement under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Document 1
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Definitions of the QMS management structure |
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Top Management |
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Operational Top Management |
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Operating Authority |
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Corporate Top Management
Operational Top Management
Operating Authority
