Drinking Water Source Protection

Safe, clean, reliable tap water is essential for the prosperity and health of all communities in the Interior Health region.  No single precaution or barrier (e.g. water treatment plants) can be trusted to provide 100% protection 100% of the time against all possible drinking water hazards (i.e. chemical, physical, or biological).  Instead a multiple-barrier approach is required, so that if one barrier under-performs others can compensate.  The first step and cornerstone to a multiple barrier approach to safe drinking water is the selection and protection of a high quality water source. 

The watersheds of the BC southern interior are where we live, work, and play.  They are also the source of the water we drink. To protect public health the threats posed by activities in our watersheds need to be identified and managed.  Key to managing threats to drinking water are land-use practices that support natural watershed function and a focus on activities occurring in sensitive areas.  Public Health Protection Services has two primary means for achieving the goal of healthy watersheds and protected drinking water sources:

1. Collecting information about drinking water sources
   Information on the location and nature of drinking water sources is needed for effective emergency response and watershed planning to protect public health.  Through the Drinking Water Quality Improvement Program  How Safe is Your Water?, identifying sensitive areas and source protection planning is required for all larger water systems in the Interior Health region.  Further, all public and private water system owners (including those servicing individual homes) are advised to register their wells and intakes to ensure they are receiving the highest level of protection.
2. Supporting healthy land-use practices
   Through the healthy community environments programs  The Future of Your Neighbourhood, administration of the  Southern Interior Regional Drinking Water Team, and support of local watershed planning efforts, Health Protection Services promotes healthy, evidence-based land-use management throughout the Interior Health region.  We also administer the BC   Drinking Water Protection Actprovisions for drinking water source protection, including  investigations of threats to drinking water. 

Important Source Protection Related Links 

Interior Health

• Drinking Water Source Protection Reference Material Guidebook (2008)
• BCWWA Presentation on Source Protection 

Interior Health Region

• Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process
• East Kootenay Integrated Lake Management Partnership 
• Fraser Basin Council 
• Columbia Basin Trust
• Okanagan Water Stewardship Council 

British Columbia

• Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport - Drinking Water 
• Memorandum of Understanding on Inter-Agency Accountability and Coordination on Drinking Water Protection 
• Action Plan for Safe Drinking Water
• BC Drinking Water Source To Tap Screening Tool
• draft BC Comprehensive Drinking Water Source To Tap Assessment Guideline
• Living Water Smart – British Columbia’s Water Plan
• GeoBC 
• Ministry of Environment
• Ministry of Forests and Range – Evaluation Program
• Ministry of Agriculture and Lands – Resource Management Branch
• Integrated Land Management Bureau
• Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure – Environment Management
• Ministry of Tourism and Culture 
• Ministry of Community Development

Canada

• CCME - Source To Tap 
• Health Canada – Water Quality   

 International

• US Environmental Protection Agency - source protection 
• World Health Organization –water resources
• Australian Water Quality Guidelines