The Multi-barrier approach is a key paradigm for ensuring safe
drinking water
Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...
in jurisdictions such as
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, elsewhere in Canada, and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It is defined as,
An integrated system of procedures, processes and tools that collectively prevent or reduce the contamination of drinking water from source to tap in order to reduce risks to public health.
In Part 2 of his report on the
Walkerton Tragedy
The Walkerton ''E. coli outbreak'' was the result of a contamination of the drinking water supply of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, with '' E. coli'' and ''Campylobacter jejuni'' bacteria. The water supply was contaminated as a result of improper wa ...
, Justice
Dennis O'Connor discusses five elements of the multi-barrier approach:
#
Source water protection
Source Water Protection is a planning process conducted by local water utilities, as well as regional or national government agencies, to protect drinking water sources from overuse and contamination. The process includes identification of water so ...
—Taking action to minimize adverse impacts on source waters reduces the risk from pathogens and chemical pollutants in that water, and can also reduce the degree of treatment required.
# Robust
water treatment
Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, inc ...
—Having treatment trains with more than one step provides redundancy against treatment failure.
# A secure
water supply network
A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following:
# A drainage basin (see water purification – source ...
—Providing a disinfectant residual to the extreme points of the distribution system protects against water quality degradation and microbial intrusion.
# Monitoring programs—Monitoring water quality at each of the above points (source, treatment plant, and tap) allows the treatment process to be adjusted to deal with fluctuations in water quality and ensures that the drinking water is safe at the point of human consumption.
# Prepared responses to adverse conditions—Having response plans (for example, issuing a
boil-water advisory
A boil-water advisory, boil-water notice, boil-water warning, boil-water order, or boil order is a public-health advisory or directive issued by governmental or other health authorities to consumers when a community's drinking water is or could b ...
) in place provides a final barrier to protect the public if harmful contaminants should make it through the other barriers.
The holistic perspective of the multi-barrier approach also incorporates many players into the goal of keeping drinking water safe. These include managers, researchers, regulators, legislators, and the public.
See also
*
Clean Water Act (Ontario)
*
Point of use water treatment
Portable water purification devices are self-contained, easily transported units used to purify water from untreated sources (such as rivers, lakes, and wells) for drinking purposes. Their main function is to eliminate pathogens, and often al ...
*
Source water protection
Source Water Protection is a planning process conducted by local water utilities, as well as regional or national government agencies, to protect drinking water sources from overuse and contamination. The process includes identification of water so ...
*
Water safety plan
A water safety plan is a plan to ensure the safety of drinking water through the use of a comprehensive risk assessment and risk management approach that encompasses all steps in water supply from catchment to consumer.
Origins
According to the ...
*
Water quality
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...
*
Walkerton tragedy
The Walkerton ''E. coli outbreak'' was the result of a contamination of the drinking water supply of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, with '' E. coli'' and ''Campylobacter jejuni'' bacteria. The water supply was contaminated as a result of improper wa ...
*
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
References
Sources
* Health Canada
The Multi-Barrier Approach to Safe Drinking Water Accessed: 10-Aug-2010.
* Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water & Water Quality Task Group (2002)
From Source To Tap - The Multi-Barrier Approach To Safe Drinking Water
* Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
Accessed: 10-Aug-2010.
* Hrudey, SE, & Hrudey, EJ (2004
''Safe Drinking Water: Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations''
* {{Cite journal , author = Hrudey, SE, Payment, P, Huck, PM, Gillham, RW, & Hrudey, EJ , year = 2003 , title = A fatal waterborne disease epidemic in Walkerton, Ontario: comparison with other waterborne outbreaks in the developed world , url = http://geography.ssc.uwo.ca/faculty/baxter/readings/Hrudey_Walkerton_WSandT_2003.pdf , journal = Water Science & Technology , volume = 47 , issue = 3 , pages = 7–14 , doi = 10.2166/wst.2003.0146 , pmid = 12638998 , access-date = 2010-08-11 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706212332/http://geography.ssc.uwo.ca/faculty/baxter/readings/Hrudey_Walkerton_WSandT_2003.pdf , archive-date = 2011-07-06 , url-status = dead
* O'Connor, Hon. Dennis R. (2002)
''Part 2: Report of the Walkerton Inquiry: Strategy for Safe Drinking Water''
Water management