Full Description

National and international attention has been focused on the water supply industry inrecent years as a result of contamination incidents such as Walkerton and Battleford.These experiences have focused on the importance of proficient operator skills and utilitymanagement practices required to prevent illness outbreaks. In addition, a carefulassessment of a utility's infrastructure can assist in mitigating risks.Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), has initiated Risk Assessment studies of allwater and wastewater services for First Nations communities including:water treatment plants;storage and distribution systems;wastewater collection systems;wastewater pumping stations; and,wastewater treatment plantswhich were inspected and analyzed against a prescribed questionnaire. Senior engineersconducted these assessments and interviewed operating staff to determine a risk profile forthe community.British Columbia represents a unique challenge for this initiative as the size, number andcomplexity of the systems being analyzed varies as widely as the geography they are locatedwithin. Each assessment brought new challenges, which allowed the assessors to conductcomparisons between the systems.This paper discusses the background behind the Risk Assessment initiative. Experiences ofthe parties (government and consultant) involved in the assessments are provided. Resultsof the program are summarized and the next steps anticipated in risk mitigation arepresented. Includes tables.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 06/16/2002 Number of Pages: 15File Size: 1 file , 220 KB