A quality assurance system for municipal water quality and public safety
By Bernie Kuslikis, Regional Municipality of Durham
Entrance to the Ajax Water Supply Plant, the administrative center of Durham's
water supply plant operations. Photos: The Region of Durham, Works
Department Communications.
Drinking water quality is traditionally
monitored and regulated
on the basis of end product
testing. Nonetheless, during
the past several years, there have
been some very serious outbreaks of
waterborne diseases that have shaken
the public’s confidence in the quality of
their municipal drinking water supply.
Regulators have enacted a number of
exacting new regulations and propose,
at least in one province, Ontario, legislation
that will establish a formal
Drinking Water Quality Management
System (DWQMS) and require formal
accreditation of water service providers.
This paper outlines a proactive
approach taken by the Regional
Municipality of Durham to improve
the quality and safety of the drinking
water produced by its water supply
plant operations by developing and
implementing a formal Integrated
Management System (IMS). Durham’s
IMS combines and adopts three series
of standards: ISO 9001-2001 for quality
management, ISO 14001–1996 for
environmental management, and
HACCP (Hazardous Analysis of Critical Control Points), a risk management
protocol, into one integrated
operations management paradigm.
Durham Region supplies water to
139,000 plus customers in eight local
municipalities through the operation of
fifteen water supply systems. Geographically,
the Region covers an area
of 2,470 square kilometres and is
located along the shore of Lake
Ontario, east of the City of Toronto,
extending north to Lake Simcoe and
Lake Scugog.
In 1999, the Region’s Works
Department recognized that a formalized
management system and documentation
protocol based on global
standards that can be readily audited
would be an invaluable tool to deal with
the ever increasing number of challenges
that face the municipal drinking
water industry in Ontario. In particular:
The IMS would adopt internationally
recognized manufacturing process
management and food industry practices
in product quality control, risk
management, and environmental stewardship.
The IMS would foster a “due diligence”
approach to documentation and
operations thus ensuring compliance
with all applicable environmental legislation.
The IMS would instill public confidence
in water quality and environmental
stewardship.
The IMS would promote the use
of “best practice” standard operating
procedures, performance indicators
and ISO style document controls
which can be regularly reviewed,
updated and audited.
The IMS would develop, tap into
and capture the extensive experience
and knowledge base of senior operating
and maintenance staff that is often
lost to retirement.
The IMS would provide Durham
Region with a quantifiable and
auditable Continuous Improvement
Process.
Regional Council approved retention
of the consulting resources needed
to develop and assist in the implementation
of the IMS in the summer of
2000.
While a number of progressive utilities
have adopted the “Plan Do Check
Act” methodology contained in the
ISO series of quality and environmental
standards to enhance the management
of their operations, Durham
Region is the first utility in North
America to embrace the combination
of HACCP and ISO standards into its
water supply operations. HACCP is a
risk management framework developed
in the food and agricultural
industry. Durham Region, with guidance
from its selected management
consulting team, adopted it as a water
safety framework by using the following
10-step program:
Assemble, train and empower the
HACCP team.
Specify the quality of the drinking
water that you intend to supply.
Develop and verify onsite, a flow
chart and plant schematic that describe
the individual process steps and major
activities that must take place.
Examine the risks at each process
step and list all potential hazards associated
with each step.
Determine the “Critical Control
Points” that are required to control the
identified hazard. A Critical Point is
an essential step to prevent a water
safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable
level.
Establish the Critical Performance
Limits that must be met at each
Critical Control Point, i.e. the criterion
that separates acceptability from unacceptability.
Establish the appropriate monitoring
system of each Critical Control
Point.
Establish the appropriate deviation
procedures at each Critical
Control Point, i.e. what is the specific
corrective action required.
Be able to verify that the HACCP
system is working through a series of
internal and external audits.
Develop a meaningful and transparent
reporting system and documentation
of all procedures and records
appropriate for the steps listed above.
To facilitate the culture change
associated with IMS adoption, a team
approach with maximum involvement
and participation from several different
Regional Departments was strongly
encouraged. Sixty Standard
Operating Procedures and two hundred
area-specific Work Instructions were
developed, covering everything from
bulk chemical receiving to what to do
when Provincial staff arrive at the front
door for a surprise inspection.
Durham’s initial goal was to achieve
ISO/HACCP registration in two years.
Ultimately, 43 months were required to
develop and implement the IMS to the
point of successful certification. The
external ISO registration audits of the
water supply IMS took place in late
2003 and final HACCP certification
was received in February 2004. The
IMS guides the operation over fiftyfive
separate surface water plant, well,
storage and pumping station sites.
Currently, the IMS does not extend to
the actual pipes in the ground.
The IMS system will help Durham
Region ensure that important issues
regarding: regulatory compliance,
water quality, public health, employee
safety and satisfaction, and cost competitive
service delivery (with an
emphasis on minimizing impacts on
the environment) are systematically
addressed, through a regular management
review process and formal internal
and external audits.
Key factors which led to successful
IMS registration in Durham included:
An on-going commitment from
senior management.
An experienced management consulting
team with expertise in both
training and standards implementation.
Enthusiastic participation and
involvement on a volunteer basis from
operating and maintenance staff.
A knowledgeable and resourceful
implementation team.
