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Drinking water advisories in First Nations communities in Canada : a national overview, 1995-2007.

-- Drinking water advisories in First Nations [Aboriginal, Indigenous, or, Native peoples, Indians] communities in Canada.

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2 Total copies, 2 Copies are in, 0 Copies are out.

"Through the Drinking Water Safety Program, Health Canada works in partnership with First Nations communities in Canada to assist them in establishing monitoring programs for drinking water quality as per the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ). An important aspect of such monitoring programs is the ability of communities to alert their members to water quality problems when they occur by issuing Drinking Water Advisories (DWA). DWA are preventive measures for protecting public health from confirmed or suspected microbiological and/or chemical contamination in drinking water. They include "Boil Water", "Do Not Consume," and "Do Not Use" advisories. This analysis provides a national overview of DWA in First Nations communities from 1995 through 2007. The objective of this report is to describe the duration, frequency and reasons for issuing DWA in First Nations communities in Canada. Trends for the period 2003-2007 and seasonal variability are also examined. Reported regional DWA data from the years 1995-2007 were compiled to form a national dataset. Advisory variables included: type of advisory; reason(s) for issuing; date set; and, date lifted. Because reporting is more consistent after 2003, trends were examined for the period 2003-2007. Results can be briefly summarized as follows. The median duration of DWA was 39 days. The most commonly cited reasons for issuing DWA were: unacceptable microbiological quality, inadequate disinfection, and equipment malfunction. Most remedial actions required to rescind DWA were related to operational challenges and upgrades and repairs of parts or of whole water systems. The number of DWA issued, as well as the number of DWA revoked, increased during the period 2003-2007. Implementation of increased drinking water sampling and other interventions through the First Nations Water Management Strategy since 2003-04 may contribute to these increases. Finally, analysis suggests seasonal effects in DWA issuances."--from abstract.

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Title

Drinking water advisories in First Nations communities in Canada : a national overview, 1995-2007. -- Drinking water advisories in First Nations [Aboriginal, Indigenous, or, Native peoples, Indians] communities in Canada.

Call No

E 78 C2 D75 2009 C.2

Authors

Canada. Health Canada

Subjects

Drinking water--Contamination--Canada.
First Nations reserves--Canada.
Native peoples--Canada.
Native peoples--Drinking water--Canada.
Aboriginal peoples--Canada.
Aboriginal peoples--Drinking water--Canada.
Indigenous peoples--Canada.
Water supply--Standards--Canada.

Language

English

Published

[Ottawa : Health Canada], c2009.

Publication Desc

24 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.

ISBN

9781100126708

Dimensions

28 cm.

Availability Summary MARC Cover Image Additional Info

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references.

Contents Note

Introduction -- Objective -- Methods -- Results -- Discussion -- Strengths and limitations -- Conclusions.

Summary

"Through the Drinking Water Safety Program, Health Canada works in partnership with First Nations communities in Canada to assist them in establishing monitoring programs for drinking water quality as per the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ). An important aspect of such monitoring programs is the ability of communities to alert their members to water quality problems when they occur by issuing Drinking Water Advisories (DWA). DWA are preventive measures for protecting public health from confirmed or suspected microbiological and/or chemical contamination in drinking water. They include "Boil Water", "Do Not Consume," and "Do Not Use" advisories. This analysis provides a national overview of DWA in First Nations communities from 1995 through 2007. The objective of this report is to describe the duration, frequency and reasons for issuing DWA in First Nations communities in Canada. Trends for the period 2003-2007 and seasonal variability are also examined.
Reported regional DWA data from the years 1995-2007 were compiled to form a national dataset. Advisory variables included: type of advisory; reason(s) for issuing; date set; and, date lifted. Because reporting is more consistent after 2003, trends were examined for the period 2003-2007.  Results can be briefly summarized as follows. The median duration of DWA was 39 days. The most commonly cited reasons for issuing DWA were: unacceptable microbiological quality, inadequate disinfection, and equipment malfunction. Most remedial actions required to rescind DWA were related to operational challenges and upgrades and repairs of parts or of whole water systems. The number of DWA issued, as well as the number of DWA revoked, increased during the period 2003-2007. Implementation of increased drinking water sampling and other interventions through the First Nations Water Management Strategy since 2003-04 may contribute to these increases. Finally, analysis suggests seasonal effects in DWA issuances."--from abstract.