Federal-provincial-territorial Subcommittee on Drinking Water- 29th Meeting, Victoria, British Columbia, October 22-24, 2001

The twenty-ninth meeting of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Subcommittee on Drinking Water (DWS) was held in Victoria, British Columbia, on October 22, 23, and 24, 2001. The status of new guidelines being developed and the revision of existing guidelines was discussed for the following substances:

Arsenic

The Secretariat continues to work on a report reviewing the ability of treatment technology to reduce levels of arsenic in drinking water. Once this review is complete, a recommendation will be made whether to revise the existing the guideline value.

Cyanobacterial Toxins

(Microcystin-LR) - The member from Health Canada noted that the prototype field test kit continues to work well and may be marketed as early as next summer. The analytical method for identifying and quantifying cyanobacterial toxins continues to be improved. Members will wait to vote on the guideline value until the analytical method has been validated and is available for use. Members reaffirmed that they are using the proposed guideline of 1.5 µg/L in the event of a toxic bloom. Members do not question the validity of the proposed guideline, only the lack of a routine monitoring method.

Haloacetic Acids

(HAAs) - The member from Health Canada noted that the supporting document for HAAs (based on the five HAAs) will be ready for review and consultation next year.

Lead

Members discussed the sampling protocol for lead as described in the current guideline supporting documentation. They agreed the aggressivity of water may be a concern in terms of promoting lead (and other metals) leaching from distribution system components, especially those in the home or inside buildings. Members agreed that the pH guideline document should be revised to reflect concerns with aggressive water's ability to encourage leaching of heavy metals.

Microbiological - Bacteriological

Members reviewed the revised guideline statement and supporting document and made final changes. These changes focussed on highlighting the need to ensure no E.coli or thermotolerant coliforms are present in treated drinking water. The document is expected to be published on the water quality website in the next few months.

Microbiological - Boil water advisory

This document will be changed to be consistent with the revised Bacteriological Quality document and posted to the water quality website in the next few months.

Trichloroethylene

Members were updated on the status of the US EPA review of TCE. Health Canada is working in collaboration with the EPA to re-examine the guideline.

Trihalomethanes (CDBPs Project)

Work on the Chlorinated Disinfection By-Products (CDBPs) project is on-going. Members encouraged Health Canada to convene a meeting of the Water Quality Subgroup in order to continue to move forward. The purpose of this project is to assess new research on the health effects associated with exposure to CDBPs in treated drinking water in order to determine whether the current guideline for Trihalomethanes (one group of CDBPs) should be revised.

Turbidity

Members were asked for final comments and data. The public consultation process for the revised turbidity document is scheduled to begin in January.

Priority List

Members discussed the status of a number of substances currently on the priority list . A review of the pH guideline was added to the "Under Assessment/Evaluation" category. The Secretariat noted that Health Canada will be conducting a review of all of its current guidelines for parameters.

Other Reports Given and Items Discussed Include:

• The guidance documents being prepared by two Working Groups made up of Subcommittee members (Health Canada) and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment -Water Quality Task Group (Environment Canada ). Each group has developed a document relating to their areas of expertise which will be joined to form a single national framework strategy on safe drinking water in Canada.
• Provincial regulations and policies related to drinking water quality. These will be summarized for the Subcommittee.
• The federal Bill S-18, currently before the Senate, which would see drinking water regulated as a food under the Food and Drugs Act
• Security of drinking water supplies and bio-terrorism threats.
• Possible concerns with the potential presence of pharmaceuticals in water.
• Reports from the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Environmental and Occupational Health, the Canadian Regulatory Council on Plumbing, and the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment.