Guidance for providing safe drinking water in areas of federal jurisdiction
This document relates to the management of drinking water supplies on federal lands and in federal government facilities. These supplies include those serving:
- Federal government employees working in Canada, as well as Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Forces personnel, and federal government Canadian diplomatic mission staff working abroad;
- Inmates, staff, and visitors to federal correctional facilities; and
- Visitors to federal lands and facilities;
- Individuals living in government quarters; and
- Neighbouring communities supplied by a federal department (e.g. a town near a military base)
The guidance in this document applies to facilities owned by or leased to the federal government. It outlines considerations regarding the design, operation and maintenance of treatment and distribution systems. It also describes the requirements for conducting assessments and for setting up, running, and evaluating monitoring programs. Departments may have, or wish to develop, more detailed protocols for their staff which address their department’s unique circumstances or requirements. The guidance in this document is meant to provide a framework and to complement any existing departmental guidance.
Given that the majority of federal facilities producing their own drinking water provide drinking water to 500 or fewer people, the guidance contained in this document relates primarily to very small drinking water systems and micro-systems. While this document recognizes the importance of managing drinking water from source to tap, source water issues are only briefly discussed. The focus is on drinking water quality from intake to tap. Wastewater issues are considered to be beyond the scope of this document.
Guidance for providing safe drinking water in areas of federal jurisdiction
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water or view these similar posts on the WCWC online library for more information.
Federal Drinking Water Systems
Free Small Systems Training from the Government of Canada