WHEREAS the provincial government released in April 2012 the Guidance Document for Determining Ground Water at Risk of Containing Pathogens GARP including Ground Water Under Direct Influence of Surface Water GWUDI; AND WHEREAS local governments did not review these documents prior to their release, and have not provided input into or feedback on these documents: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM oppose the Guidance Document for Determining Ground Water at Risk of Containing Pathogens including Ground Water Under Direct Influence of Surface Water.
Ministry of Health The UBCM resolution opposing the Guidance Document for Determining Ground Water at Risk of Containing Pathogens GARP Including Ground Water Under Direct Influence of Surface Water GWUDI is premature at this stage given that its implications for establishing ground water treatment requirements have yet to be considered by UBCM. The Guidance Document was developed to assist water operators and health authorities to determine whether a ground water drinking water supply is at risk of containing microorganisms that cause disease in human populations. This technical assessment tool was originally developed in 2009 and has been reviewed by regional Ministry of Environment hydrogeologists, academics, the multi-stakeholder Ground Water Advisory Board, selected consultants, and the Ministry of Healths Drinking Water Leadership Council. Over the past few years, earlier versions of the document were posted online on the Ministry of Environments website and the BC Water and Waste Associations website. The Guidance Document assessment tool supports a Drinking Water Officers decision making, on whether a ground water supply needs to be disinfected under Section 5 of the provisions of the Drinking Water Protection Act. Without this guidance, the default standards of the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water issued by Health Canada apply. The BC guidance is different from the national approach because it takes into account site- and source-specific conditions in a community, thereby allowing for more flexible options for the delivery of safe drinking water from ground water sources. The Guidance Document assessment tool is intended to link with another provincial guidance document currently under development. This second document will recommend ground water treatment objectives for the categories of risk identified by the assessment tool. The treatment objectives are currently under review by subject matter experts and practitioners and are expected to be released for stakeholder review and comment by the spring of 2013. Given that the ground water treatment objectives document is under development and the Guidance Document for Determining Ground Water at Risk of Containing Pathogens Including Ground Water Under Direct Influence of Surface Water assessment tool are linked, the Ministry of Health had proposed to consult on both documents at the same time. With both documents in hand, UBCM members can better judge how the two part guidance works to support the determination of ground water treatment requirements. The Ministry of Health is fully prepared to consider UBCM feedback at that time to improve future versions of both documents with regard to their relevance and usability.