Welcome to Small Water Systems

Drinking water systems that serve up to 500 individuals per day are considered Small Water Systems (SWS). The BCWWA SWS site is a web based resource for all people involved in small water systems across the province. As well as recent updates, you will find many useful links to resources and regulations.

The web site is managed by the SWS Committee of the British Columbia Water and Waste Association. Please browse through the site and pass along your comments to us so that we can continually improve this resource. If you have any comments or suggestions on this site or its content please email Julian Noel:

Recent Developments:

Educating Students About Water

On June 5, 2008, Doug Gosling travelled to Abbotsford Middle School to help the students celebrate their first ever Environmental Day and to teach them about water. Read more.

Small Water Systems Symposium at the BCWWA Annual Conference & Trade Show

The Small Water Systems Committee is pleased to invite all those concerned with small water systems to attend the BCWWA Annual Conference & Trade Show. This is a great opportunity to learn about new developments in the industry and to make useful contacts with others.

We will again offer a special one-day Small Water Systems package at a reduced SWS Conference rate to encourage participation. This package is designed to keep time commitments and costs to a level suited to small systems owners and operators. This package includes a special Small Water Symposium Monday afternoon with focused presentations and a roundtable forum question and answer time. This will be an opportunity to pose questions to and exchange dialogue with senior Drinking Water Officers and ministry representatives about the topics that concern you and your small water system.

Click here to go to the SWS Symposium page for a schedule of events and registration information.

2007 Small Water System Awards

The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2007 SWS Award has passed. The award winners will be announced on April 28, 2008 at the Annual Conference in Whistler. However, now is the time to start thinking about the 2008 SWS Award.

The purpose of the award is to recognize small water systems in British Columbia for initiatives that demonstrates outstanding effort in the delivery of safe drinking water. Up to five awards may be granted annually with a maximum of one allocated from each Health Region. Each award will consist of recognition for the water system, a plaque, and one complimentary BCWWA AGM conference registration and individual membership.

All small water systems that serve up to 500 individuals per day are eligible to apply for the award. Any small water system who feel that they might qualify or their Health Authority, Drinking Water Officer, Regional District or consultant, etc. who is aware of a system that has made an outstanding effort in improving the delivery of safe drinking water should consider applying. To obtain an entry form click here.

To learn more about the past winners click here.

BCWWA Small Water Systems Courses

Upcoming courses will be posted here as details come available. Keep an eye on the Operator Education web page for the Fall 2008 Course Calendar.

Managing Small Water Systems

Course Description

Course Length: 2 Days

CEUs: 1.3

Recommended participants: managers, operations staff, trustees, councillors and anyone involved directly or indirectly with water systems.

The Managing Small Water Systems course focuses on the fundamentals of managing and operating a well-run water system. This includes:

establishing best practices for managing assets and maintaining a system
developing effective communication
exploring key planning tools and sustainable operations
establishing effective governance and management functions
hiring the right staff and consulting with the public
identifying the basics of project delivery
establishing proper budgeting
understanding legal requirements

The course is participatory and involves several group exercises.

Small Water System Certified Operator Update

Click here to read an update from the SWS Committee summarizing how changes to the Drinking Water Protection Regulation have affected SWS and the need for certified operators.

Boil Water Advisories

The Source to Tap Committee of BCWWA and Vancouver Coastal Health sponsored a one day workshop in July on Boil Water Advisories. All of
the presentations are available online and can be found here.

Point of Entry / Point of Use Water Treatment Draft Document

The Sustainable Infrastructure Society has completed a number of Draft documents related to Point of Use / Point of Entry Water Treatment for British Columbia. These documents include an Introduction to POE / POU, Planning Considerations, Guide Book, including Appendices and Worksheets. These documents can be accessed at:

www.sustainis.org/community/programs/treatment/

If you wish to provide feedback on these documents, please do so as soon as possible. Email comments to contact1@sustainis.org.

Liability Insurance

Small water systems in BC have faced numerous challenges when it comes to obtaining affordable and appropriate insurance for their water systems. The BCWWA Small Water Systems Committee made a valuable contribution to the development by the Sustainable Infrastructure Society of an innovative Group Liability Insurance Program. The Program is accessible through the web site of the Sustainable Infrastructure Society at: www.sustainis.org/community/programs/insurance/

In the News:

June 19, 2008 - Connect to the Vancouver Sun website and view Larry Pynn's article "New water standars urged" on the Ombudsman report.

April 11, 2008 - Click here to read an article regarding the excess of Boil Water Advisories in Canada.

April 8, 2008 - Click here to read an editorial from the Canadian
Medical Association Journal stating that the risk to water safety arises
from flawed structural organization and widespread public indifference.

December 19, 2007 - Click here to read an article from CNN regarding illness and disease caused by unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation.

November 28, 2007 - The BC Ombudsman has announced that they are going to investigate drinking water safety, with a particular focus on small water systems. Full details and a questionnaire can be found at www.ombudsman.bc.ca

Small Water System Spotlight

In this section will be a feature article on a small water system in BC. The purpose for this article will be to highlight how small systems in BC champion the delivery of safe drinking water. If you know of a system that you would like to see featured in this section please contact Julian Noel at julian@filterco.net.

Ask the Expert

The BCWWA Small Water Systems Committee is here to serve you. Please feel free to access our SWS Bulletin Board/ Forum. One of our committee members will respond to your inquiries or direct you to someone that can.

Site Index

This site has been arranged to provide you with a comprehensive and well organized listing of information that pertains to the operation of a small water system. Below is a listing of the major categories. To access any one of the following categories please click on the section you are interested in.

Disclaimer

The information contained on this web site is for information purposes only. The BCWWA does not guarantee the currency or accuracy of the information provided. All users of this information should verify the currency and accuracy of the information prior to use. Numerous pieces of information on this site require a technical or professional level of training and/or certification in order to apply the information to a specific water system. If any operators or users have questions on the content of this site please direct your questions to “Ask the Expert” or to your local Drinking Water Officer.