January 1997

Background

Matters related to potable water in Alberta have been regulated by Alberta Environment through the use of the Clean Water Act and related regulations. This legislation has dealt not only with potable water quality, but also with requirements for facilities supplying potable water.

Overview

Alberta's environmental laws have been consolidated and updated by EPEA. Part 7 of the Act deals with potable water, its quality and the systems which supply it.

The Potable Water Regulation enables Alberta Environment to regulate the operation of waterworks systems and establish standards for such facilities and their operators. This regulation also establishes requirements for potable water quality, including matters such as disinfection and fluoridation. This regulation replaces the following legislation:

• Clean Water Act;
• Clean Water (General) Regulations;
• Clean Water (Municipal Plants) Regulations; and
• Fluoridation Regulations.

Regulatory Details

References in the Potable Water Regulation have been changed from the Clean Water Act definition of "municipal plant" to clarify the approval mandate of Alberta Environment in relation to Alberta Labour and Alberta Health, who also have program responsibilities related to potable water. Specific definitions are used for the various owners of waterworks systems as follows:

• municipalities;
• municipal developments (unincorporated, multi-owner co-op developments);
• industrial developments (potable water plants owned by industries for the use of their on-site staff);
• regional services commissions;
• privately owned developments but excludes single family dwellings or farms); and
• private utilities.

Transitional provisions are included in this regulation to facilitate and accommodate the implementation of new standards and design requirements to be imposed by this regulation at existing waterworks systems.

Certain activities previously requiring approval under clean water legislation have been exempted, and will require a letter of authorization only under the new Act and Regulations. These include the extension or replacement of watermains to service new subdivisions, new or expanded treated water reservoirs, trial experiments to test the use of new water treatment chemicals and certain small waterworks systems with limited treatment of groundwater supplies.

Requirements to disinfect water supplies from a waterworks system are outlined in this regulation. All supplies must be disinfected in accordance with standards and guidelines, unless the Director provides time for the waterworks system to come into compliance. Approvals for waterworks systems must contain terms and conditions for disinfection, including frequency, levels of disinfecting agents and contact times for disinfectants.

This regulation requires that a waterworks system must at all times comply with minimum potable water treatment design requirements as outlined in Standards and Guidelines for Municipal Waterworks, Wastewater and Storm Drainage System (published by Alberta Environment). The regulation also requires that the physical, chemical, microbiological and radiological quality of the potable water meet the health related concentration limits in the latest edition of the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality as established by Health and Welfare Canada. The Director has been given discretion to specify the time periods within which a waterworks system must meet any changes in concentration limits, in order to phase in any new or more stringent standards. A duty created by this regulation is the requirement to immediately report any failure or shutdown of disinfection equipment to the Director and the local board of health.

Certain provisions have been added to the Potable Water Regulation respecting fluoridation. Included are requirements that the addition of fluoride and the design of fluoridation equipment be done in accordance with Standards and Guidelines for Municipal Waterworks, Wastewater and Storm Drainage Systems (published by Alberta Environment), and that any discontinuation of the application of fluoride in order to replace or repair equipment be reported immediately to the Director and the local board of health.

The owner of a waterworks system is required by this regulation to notify the Director of the names of certified operators in direct supervision of the operation of the facility. The Director has been given power to issue certificates to operate waterworks systems or wastewater systems, with conditions attached.

The Potable Water Regulation has enhanced provisions for certification of operators of waterworks systems and wastewater systems. Certain operators of waterworks systems or wastewater systems require a certificate as outlined in the Water and Wastewater Operator's Certificate Guidelines (published by Alberta Environment). The Guidelines have been amended to allow for "conditional certificates" where circumstances (for example, small and very basic water supply systems) do not dictate the application of the normal certification requirements.

This regulation refers to the Water and Wastewater Operator's Certificate Guidelines for renewal of certificates and requirements for renewal applications, as well as requirements to ensure continuing validity of these certificates.

The Director has been given the ability to request resubmission of water samples or submission of water samples at a greater frequency if, in the Director's opinion, the initial water sample is unsatisfactory.

For more information, please call:

Alberta Environment
Air and Water Approvals Division
(780) 427-5883