|
1. DRINKING WATER
QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OPERATIONAL PLAN PROGRESS UPDATE MISE
À JOUR SUR L’AVANCEMENT DU PLAN OPÉRATIONNEL CONCERNANT LE SYSTÈME DE GESTION
DE LA QUALITÉ DE L’EAU POTABLE |
That Council:
1.
Receive this report for
information; and
2. Endorse the Drinking
Water Quality Management Policy, as worded as follows:
The
City of Ottawa is committed to providing safe and reliable drinking water of
high quality to the consumer. In
particular, the City makes the following commitments:
1.
To provide safe and reliable drinking water to the
consumer;
2.
To comply with, or exceed, applicable legislation and
regulations;
3.
To implement, maintain, and continually improve the
Quality Management System and infrastructure technolgy;
4.
To deliver excellent customer service through
responsiveness, accountability, and innovation.
RecommandationS modifiÉeS du Comité
Que le Conseil :
1. reçoive le présent
rapport à titre d’information;
2. appuie
la politique de gestion de la qualité de l’eau potable, formulé comme suit :
La Ville d’Ottawa s’engage à assurer la salubrité, la fiabilité et la
qualité de l’eau potable fournie aux consommateurs. Plus particulièrement, la
Ville s’engage :
1.
à assurer la salubrité et la
fiabilité de l’eau potable fournie aux consommateurs;
2.
à respecter ou à surpasser ce que la
loi et la réglementation en vigueur exigent;
3.
à mettre en place, à maintenir et à
améliorer continuellement son système de gestion de la qualité de l’eau et sa
technologie d’infrastructure;
4.
à fournir un excellent service à la
clientèle en faisant preuve de réceptivité, de responsabilisation et d’innovation.
Documentation
1.
Deputy
City Manager's report Planning, Transit
and the Environment dated 3 March 2008 (ACS2008-PWS-WWS-0005).
2.
Extract
of Draft Minutes, 25 March 2008.
Report to / Rapport au:
Planning and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de
l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by / Soumis par: R. G. Hewitt,
Deputy City Manager / Directeur municipal adjoint
|
City-Wide / À l’échelle de la Ville |
|
Ref N°: ACS2008-PWS-WWS-0005 |
SUBJECT: DRINKING WATER QUALITY management SYSTEM
OPERATIONAL PLAN PROGRESS UPDATE
OBJET: MISE À JOUR SUR L’AVANCEMENT DU PLAN OPÉRATIONNEL
CONCERNANT LE SYSTÈME DE GESTION DE LA QUALITÉ DE L’EAU POTABLE
That the Planning and Environment Committee and
Council:
1.
Receive this report for
information; and
2.
Endorse the Drinking Water
Quality Management Policy.
Que le Comité de
l’urbanisme et de l’environnement et le Conseil municipal :
1.
reçoivent le présent rapport à titre
d’information;
2.
entérinent la politique de gestion
de la qualité de l’eau potable.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On May 18, 2007, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry the "Licencing of Municipal Drinking-Water Systems Regulation (O. Reg 188/07)".
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Ministry of the Environment requires all owners of municipal drinking water systems to obtain licencing for the operation of these systems. These licences will require five elements, as listed below:
By January 1, 2009, the City of Ottawa, together with all of the other major water suppliers in the Province, must apply for a Municipal Drinking Water Licence, a Permit to Take Water, a Drinking Water Works Permit, and must submit an Operational Plan to meet the requirements of the MOE Licencing of Municipal Drinking Water Systems Regulation. The Operating Authority of the water systems will be accredited upon successful completion of an accreditation audit of the Quality Management System, expected to take place in early 2009. The only element not currently part of that licence requirement is the Financial Plan. The Department will be submitting a report to Committee and Council later in 2008 to provide more detailed information on this important requirement.
This report is intended to provide Council with an update on the development and implementation of the Operational Plan and the City’s accreditation strategy, as well as to seek the endorsement of the Quality Management System (QMS) Policy by Council. The development and implementation of the Operational Plan will be the most complex aspect of the licencing application, requiring staff efforts throughout 2008.
RÉSUMÉ
Le 18 mai
2007, le ministère de l’Environnement a inscrit au Registre environnemental
établi en application de la Charte des droits environnementaux le règlement
intitulé « Licencing of Municipal Drinking-Water Systems Regulation »
(Règl. de l’Ont. 188/07). En vertu de la Loi sur la salubrité de l'eau
potable, le ministère de l’Environnement exige que les propriétaires de
réseaux municipaux d’eau potable obtiennent une approbation pour exploiter ces
réseaux. Cette approbation comporte les cinq éléments suivants :
D’ici le 1er janvier 2009, la Ville
d'Ottawa, de même que tous les autres grands fournisseurs d’eau dans la
province, devra demander un permis municipal d’eau potable, un
permis de prélèvement d’eau et un permis d’aménagement de station de production
d’eau potable et présenter un plan d’exploitation répondant aux exigences du
règlement 188/07 susmentionné,
appliqué par le ministère
de l’Environnement.
L’organisme d’exploitation des réseaux d’eau
potable fera l’objet d’une vérification d’agrément de son système de gestion de
la qualité, vérification qui devrait avoir lieu au début de 2009. Le plan
financier est le seul élément qui, pour le moment, n’est pas une exigence
d’obtention du permis Un rapport donnant des renseignements plus détaillés sur
cet important élément sera présenté au Comité et au Conseil plus tard en 2008.
Le présent rapport a pour objet de
tenir le Conseil au courant de l’élaboration et de la mise en œuvre du plan
d’exploitation et de la stratégie de la Ville pour obtenir l’agrément
nécessaire, ainsi que de demander au Conseil d’entériner le système de gestion
de la qualité (SGQ). L’élaboration et la mise en œuvre du plan d’exploitation
constitueront l’aspect le plus complexe de la demande de permis et
nécessiteront des efforts du personnel tout au long de 2008.
BACKGROUND
The City of Ottawa currently owns and
provides drinking water services through the following municipal drinking water
systems:
·
the
Central Water Distribution System including the Lemieux Island and Britannia
Water Purification Plants;
·
the
Vars Municipal Drinking Water System;
·
the
Carp Municipal Drinking Water System;
·
the
Munster Hamlet Municipal Drinking Water System; and,
·
the
Kings Park (Richmond) Municipal Drinking Water System.
Staff is also in the process of commissioning
the new Shadow Ridge Municipal Drinking Water System, which will also require
the development of an Operational Plan.
The DWQMS has been developed based on the “Plan”, “Do”, “Check” and “Improve” concept of many other Quality Management Standards such as ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). However, the Standard has been tailored to satisfy the particular conditions of municipal drinking water systems in Ontario. The DWQMS contains 21 elements covering the broad spectrum of service delivery from system operations, testing and monitoring, infrastructure renewal and rehabilitation, emergency management and personnel coverage and competencies. The individual elements are listed in the next table:
Table
|
1 - Quality Management System |
11 - Personnel Coverage |
|
2 - Quality Management System Policy |
12 - Communications |
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3 - Commitment and Endorsement (of Senior Management) |
13 - Essential Supplies and Services |
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4 - Identification of a Quality Management System Representative |
14 - Review and Provision of Infrastructure |
|
5 - Document and Records Control |
15 - Infrastructure Maintenance, Rehabilitation and Renewal |
|
6 - Drinking Water System Description(s) |
16 - Sampling, Testing and Monitoring |
|
7 - Risk Assessment |
17 - Measurement and Recording Equipment Calibration and Maintenance |
|
8 - Risk Assessment Outcomes |
18 - Emergency Management |
|
9 - Organizational Structure, Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities |
19 - Internal Audits |
|
10 - Competencies |
20 - Management Review |
|
21 - Continual
Improvement |
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The Operational Plan required by the Municipal Licencing program is the document prepared by the Operating Authority detailing exactly how the City is complying with the Province’s DWQMS for each of its drinking water systems.
The Operational Plan is required to demonstrate at a policy level, how the City is complying with each of the PLAN, DO, CHECK and IMPROVE steps for all 21 elements of the Standard. The Operational Plan will make frequent reference to other, more detailed supporting documents, such as Standard Operating Practices and Procedures.
While many of the elements of the DWQMS involve the work of only the Drinking Water Services Division, many of the elements of the DWQMS listed above involve work performed by City staff outside of the Drinking Water Services Division, Water and Wastewater Services Branch and even the Public Works and Services Department. For this reason, the development of the Operational Plan has involved the close cooperation and involvement of the many Departments, Branches and Divisions throughout the Corporation.
The City operates multiple drinking water systems; therefore it has the choice of combining the common components of the Quality Management System into one Operational Plan covering all six drinking water systems or to produce separate, individual Operational Plans for each of the drinking water systems. Given the fact that many aspects of our operations are common to all systems, it has been staff’s approach to develop one Operational Plan covering all six municipal drinking water systems.
Work has been underway since early 2007 in the development and preparation of the Operational Plan. The City has retained the services of BRI International Inc., who have partnered with RV Anderson Associates Limited, to assist in the significant effort required to prepare the Operational Plan. The development of the Operational Plan has also compelled City staff to document, in a consistent manner, all of the activities undertaken in providing drinking water services operations. Through the process of developing the Operational Plan, it has become clear that the Operational Plan itself is simply the “tip of the iceberg”, with a much greater amount of work required in updating and, in many cases, documenting for the first time the myriad of other detailed activities required to consistently produce and distribute high quality drinking water.
It is recognized that Operational Plans must be continually reviewed and updated to reflect changes in drinking water system size, scope, policies, practices, operations and most importantly, to reflect continual improvement. It will be necessary to continue to devote staff time and resources to ensure that the Operational Plan continues to reflect ongoing operations.
Once the Operational Plan has been prepared, it will be necessary for the Plan itself to be approved by the municipal drinking water system Owner, which in the case of the City of Ottawa will mean Council.
Owner Obligations
Councillors should be aware of this major initiative, as it directly affects drinking water system operations and reporting. As the Owner of the system, Council will need to approve the Operational Plans. The approval of the Operational Plans will be sought as part of a separate report to Council in the fall of 2008. This report is a follow up to regular updates provided by staff in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Once the Owner has approved the Operational Plan, the Owner is to forward the Plan to the Ministry of the Environment.
The Safe Drinking Water Act imposes a number of clear oversight responsibilities on municipal Councillors. With the adoption of a Municipal Drinking Water Licencing program, it is expected that these oversight responsibilities will now be proclaimed.
Section 19 of the Safe Drinking Water Act establishes the
Standard of Care requirements and obligations of the Owner and those involved with
the oversight of the Operating Authority. The Standard of Care requires that in
relation to drinking water, the Owner exercise a level of care, diligence and
skill that a reasonably prudent person would be expected to exercise in a
similar situation. With a Municipal Drinking Water Licencing program and
the Operational Plan and accredited Operating Authority, Council will have the
tools available to provide this Standard of Care.
Accredited Operating Authority
The fourth prerequisite of the new municipal licencing program is
that the Owner, in this case the City, retain an accredited Operating Authority
to operate the municipal drinking water system.
The accreditation process for the Operating Authority will be similar to a
number of accreditation programs in Canada, such as the ISO Standards
referenced above, and must be conducted by an external third party. The Accreditation Body is expected to be managed by the
Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB).
Unlike all other Canadian third party QMS audits, municipal drinking water systems audit reports will be subject to public disclosure. The City of Ottawa will be among the first drinking water suppliers to be subjected to this new and unique DWQMS Standard.
Essentially, the accreditation process will require a review of every element of the City’s Operational Plan for conformance to the Province’s DWQMS. The review will involve:
· a Systems Audit; and,
· an On-site Verification Audit.
The Systems Audit consists of a desktop review of the Operational Plan for conformance to the DWQMS. Upon completion of the Systems Audit, the Operating Authority will be provided with a Systems Audit Report identifying major and minor non-conformances and audit observations. The Operating Authority will be required to formally respond to and correct items of non-conformance. The Operational Plan must be updated prior to initiating an On-site Verification Audit.
As the name implies, the On-site Verification Audit will require an audit team to be on-site with the Operating Authority. The purpose of this audit will be to confirm that the Operational Plan has been effectively implemented through interviews with City staff. Once the audit is complete, the Operating Authority will be provided with an On-site Verification Audit report identifying major and minor non-conformances and audit observations. In some cases, it may not be possible to immediately address non-conformance items, and the Operating Authority may be required to develop a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) to address these issues. The On-site Verification Audit will only be considered complete with the amendment of the Operating Plan and the correction of any non-conformances or the acceptance of the CAP by the Auditor.
Once all phases of the accreditation process have been successfully completed, the Accreditation Body will issue to the Operating Authority the Certificate of Accreditation. The Accreditation Body will similarly notify both the MOE and the Owner of the audit outcomes and provide copies of all audit reports and reconsiderations.
It will be necessary for every Operating Authority to be audited
every year. The degree and scope of the audit will vary such that the first two
years following a successful full audit will be partial audits. It is expected
that the degree of on-site assessment will be affected by the previous year’s
audit performance of the Operating Authority. However, every third year, a full
re-accreditation of all elements of the Operating Plan must be successfully
completed. It is important for the Owner and Operating Authority to note that
the Operating Authority must pass every annual audit in order to retain its
Certificate of Accreditation. A failure by the Operating Authority to retain
accreditation will
may result in necessitate the Owner having
toto make
modifications its a change in Operating Authority.
These modifications may require organizational
changes to the Operating Authority to
improve accountability,
or more fundamental
changes may be required such that the
Owner may need to temporarily replace its Operating Authority
with another Operating Authority as directed by the MOE..
It is also important to note that even with this Third Party Accreditation process, the MOE will retain its own Annual Inspection and Reporting process.
As noted in the Operational Plan Section, these Plans will require continual review, modification and upgrading. Any business process change will require auditing prior to being considered part of an accredited Operating Authority practice. Should a major change occur, it would be incumbent upon the Operating Authority to request an ad hoc audit by the Accreditation Body. Less significant changes are to be covered as part of the next regular annual audit.
In recognition that municipal drinking water system Owners and Operating Authorities across Ontario may be in different conditions of readiness for accreditation, the MOE has built into the draft accreditation program some flexibility for an Owner and Operating Authority to select the manner and rate at which they wish to become accredited, as described below:
· Partial accreditation based upon a full review of only some elements of the Operational Plan(s), or,
· Partial accreditation based upon a partial review on all aspects of the Operational Plan(s), or,
· Full accreditation on all aspects of the Operational Plan(s).
The choices are explained in greater detail in the table below.
Accreditation Information |
Submission Option 1
Limited Scope, Partial DWQMS Operational Plan Contents |
Submission Option 2 Limited Scope, Entire DWQMS Operational Plan Contents |
Submission Option 3 Full Scope, Entire DWQMS Operational Plan Contents |
|
Resulting Accreditation |
Certificate of Accreditation (Limited Scope). |
Certificate of Accreditation (Limited Scope). |
Certificate of Accreditation (Full Scope). |
|
Accreditation Process |
Systems Audit and On-site Verification Audit of PLAN and DO aspects of DWQMS Elements 2-8, 12, and 18-20. |
Systems Audit of PLAN aspects of DWQMS Elements 1-21. |
Systems Audit and On-site Verification Audit of PLAN and DO aspects of DWQMS Elements 1-21. |
|
Future Accreditation Requirements |
Must submit full Operational Plan of entire DWQMS within 12 months of receiving Limited Scope Accreditation. |
Must complete On-site Verification Audit of all elements within 12 months of receiving Limited Scope Accreditation. |
None required as Full Scope Accreditation has been achieved. |
DISCUSSION
Staff intends to develop an Operational Plan that would allow for a Full Scope Accreditation in early 2009. The project is currently on schedule and there are no foreseeable delays that would inhibit our ability to apply for a Full Scope Accreditation.
Some of the key milestones that will be achieved in 2008 are as follows:
· Define and establish members of Top Management;
· Appoint the Quality Management System Representative;
· Complete the final draft of the Operational Plan including supporting documentation;
· Review and approve the Operational Plan by Top Management;
· Carry out staff training and awareness sessions;
· Conduct an internal audit of the Operational Plan and take corrective action as necessary;
· Submit the Operational Plan to Council for endorsement; and,
· Submit the Operational Plan to the MOE for Third Party Accreditation.
Quality
Management System Policy
One of the key elements of the DWQMS is that the Owner endorses the QMS Policy. The QMS Policy establishes the primary goals and objectives of the Owner for the Operating Authority. Attachment A to this report is a copy of the draft QMS Policy prepared by staff.
The MOE describes the Policy as being the “backbone” of the Quality Management System. The Policy documents the Owner’s and Operating Authority’s firm commitment to the DWQMS and its importance within the organization. The QMS Policy must outline three main commitments:
1) to maintain and continually improve the QMS;
2) to comply with applicable legislation and regulations; and,
3) to provide safe drinking water to the consumer.
Some municipalities may also choose to incorporate other quality elements in this policy such as, environmental systems, health and safety systems and other commitments to continual improvement such as research and development. At this time, the City of Ottawa is not including other system components in the policy other than drinking water quality. For the next few years, the focus will be to successfully implement and manage the DWQMS processes and procedures. There will be future opportunities to expand and evolve the Quality Management System to include other important quality control processes.
Staff have previously reported to Council on this new regulatory requirement. The purpose of this report is to inform Council of progress to date and to indicate which accreditation approach staff is now recommending and to endorse the QMS Policy.
The project is currently on schedule and there are no foreseeable delays that would inhibit our ability to apply for Full Scope Accreditation by January 1, 2009.
There are no public consultation requirements of the Municipal Drinking Water Licencing program. However, it is a requirement of the DWQMS that the Owner’s Drinking Water Quality Management Policy be posted on the Owner’s website. It is also a requirement that the results of the accreditation audits of the municipality’s Operating Authority be made available to the public. Details on how this is to be achieved have not yet been made available.
Following the Province’s release of the new Drinking Water Quality Management Standard, staff reported to Council in 2006 under cover of report ACS2006-PWS-UTL-0002-IPD and funds were approved in the 2006 Budget to address this regulatory requirement.
The only identified financial impacts of the
municipal drinking water licencing scheme involve the costs incurred as a
result of the Third Party Accreditation process. No information is available on
costs at this time, but they are not expected to be significant on an annual
basis.
Compliance with the Drinking Water Quality Management Standard will require a significant ongoing commitment of staff time and resources that have not been previously required. The 2007 Approved Drinking Water Services Operating Budget includes two FTEs to support this initiative. Staff is not familiar with the time and resources required to support this ongoing operational requirement. As the development of the Operational Plan proceeds, staff will obtain a better understanding of whether or not the allocated resources are adequate to manage the system.
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 – City of Ottawa Drinking Water Quality Management System Policy - Draft
The Public Works and Services Department will continue to
develop Operational Plans for the City’s drinking water systems. Once
completed, these Operating Plans will be brought to Council for approval. Once
Council has endorsed the QMS Policy, it will be posted to the City’s web site.
Staff will return to Council in the fall of 2008 to seek
Owner approval prior to the January 2009 deadline.
Document 1
The City of Ottawa is committed to delivering high quality and safe drinking water to the consumers of the City of Ottawa municipal drinking water systems. As part of this commitment, the City will:
_______________________________________ ________________________
(Top Management – signatures) Date
DRINKING WATER QUALITY
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OPERATIONAL PLAN PROGRESS UPDATE
MISE À JOUR SUR L’AVANCEMENT
DU PLAN OPÉRATIONNEL CONCERNANT LE SYSTÈME DE GESTION DE LA QUALITÉ DE L’EAU
POTABLE
ACS2008-PWS-WWS-0005 City-Wide / À l’échelle de la Ville
Dixon Weir, Director of Water and Wastewater Services, and Tammy Rose, Manager of Drinking Water Services, delivered a PowerPoint presentation, which served to provide Committee with an overview of the staff report. A copy of this presentation is held on file with the City Clerk.
Councillor Bellemare introduced a motion to reword the Drinking Water Quality Management Policy Statement. In outlining the rationale behind his motion, he referenced the Provincial legislation, which imposed very clear oversight responsibilities and a standard of care, and identified City Council as the owner of the municipal drinking water system. He indicated he had removed a number of words, which he felt were implied and therefore did not need to be included in the policy statement. Furthermore, he submitted that in the context of drinking water, safety and quality should be the key words.
Staff responded to questions from Committee members. The following summarizes the main points raised.
With respect to the accreditation process, Mr. Weir explained the approach would involve two audits; one internal audit driven by the City’s own experts, and a third party audit, as described in the report. He indicated the Ministry of the Environment had contracted the latter to the Canadian General Standards Bureau (CGSB), which is involved in similar quality management systems as a third party accreditor across Canada. In closing, he confirmed that there would be costs to the City associated with the third party accreditation process.
Speaking to the notion of a cost benefit analysis, Mr. Weir maintained that compliance was now a requirement, under Provincial legislation. Therefore, there was not really an opportunity to go through a cost benefit analysis in the traditional sense. However, he submitted that public confidence was of primary concern and, while going through and developing these operational plans would not change the taste, it would provide a third party look at how the City was planning its processes and it would provide confidence through recognition that the planning processes were in place to ensure high quality drinking water.
In closing, he surmised the process would not affect the quality of the City’s water, but it would ensure municipalities went through a rigorous planning process and third party re-assurance.
Responding to a question with respect to full-scope versus limited-scope accreditation, Mr. Weir explained that within the legislation, the Province had developed opportunities for municipalities to initially go for a limited-scope accreditation but that they would have to be in full compliance within 12 months of the award of the limited-scope accreditation. In light of the requirement for full accreditation within 12 months, staff was recommended that the City go for full-scope accreditation right away. Furthermore, he advised that once accredited, the City would have to go through an annual accreditation process, the scope of which would vary from year to year so that once every three years, there would be a rigorous accreditation and the other two years within that cycle, there would be less rigorous processes.
With respect to reports of traces of prescription drugs being found in the water supply in some Southern Ontario jurisdictions, Mr. Weir indicated he was not familiar with the specifics of these reports. However, he advised that the source water was near pristine. Never the less, he reported that rather than relying on this, staff was developing a sampling program looking for some of the key indicators others had started identifying. He explained that the City’s program would involve sampling the raw water prior to water treatment as well as sampling at the outflow from the sewage treatment plant.
When asked to comment on Councillor Bellemare’s proposal, Mr. Weir confirmed that staff had gone back and forth with the Councillor on the wording of his motion. He indicated the most notable areas of concerns were that the motion did not contain a reference to the City’s commitment to infrastructure technology and process improvements.
Councillor Bellemare accepted these comments and amended his motion accordingly.
Moved by M. Bellemare:
THAT the draft City of Ottawa Drinking Water Management System
Policy be worded as follows:
The City of Ottawa is committed to provided safe and reliable
drinking water of high quality to the consumer. In particular, the City makes the following commitments:
1. To
provide safe and reliable drinking water to the consumer;
2. To
comply with, or exceed, applicable legislation and regulations;
3. To implement, maintain,
and continually improve the Quality Management System and infrastructure
technology;
4. To deliver excellent
customer service through responsiveness, accountability, and innovation.
CARRIED
That the
Planning and Environment Committee and Council:
1. Receive this report
for information; and
RECEIVED
2. Endorse the Drinking Water Quality
Management Policy, as worded as follows:
The City of Ottawa is committed to provided safe and reliable
drinking water of high quality to the consumer. In particular, the City makes the following commitments:
1. To
provide safe and reliable drinking water to the consumer;
2. To comply with, or exceed,
applicable legislation and regulations;
3. To implement, maintain, and
continually improve the Quality Management System and infrastructure
technology;
4. To deliver excellent
customer service through responsiveness, accountability, and innovation.
CARRIED as amended
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[AMB1]Federal?