Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Ashley Legassic

DRINKING WATER

Ministry of Health, provincial health officer not doing enough to protect drinking water: Auditor General

Jul 30, 2019 | 11:01 AM

VICTORIA — B.C.’s auditor general has released a report calling on the provincial government to do more to sufficiently protect drinking water in the province.

In the report Carol Bellringer says the office concluded the Ministry of Health and the provincial health officer are not doing enough to protect drinking water for all British Columbians.

“We undertook this audit because of the considerable importance of safe drinking water and because the risks to drinking water are increasing,” said Bellringer in a news release.

Climate change, industrial activity and a growing population all have an impact on B.C.’s drinking water, according to the report.

“We found that overall, the Ministry of Health and the PHO’s accountability to ensure drinking water was protected is concerning,” Bellringer said.

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Bellringer says the oversight of drinking water is complex and involved many ministries, agencies and pieces of legislation.

“To ensure clear accountability, government stated that the Ministry of Health would provide leadership and co-ordination, and the PHO would oversee government and those delivering drinking water to all British Columbians,” the release states. “While the ministry has taken some action to mitigate risks to drinking water, more needs to be done. Specifically, the ministry does not know which water systems are at risk and has not developed a strategy to address them.”

The risks of contamination are intensified in small water systems, and the release states the ministry’s actions to address issues in small water systems has been limited.

“About 90 (per cent) of these systems are small water systems that collectively serve approximately 480,000 people.”

The release adds that overall the Ministry of Health did not demonstrate leadership in ensuring continuous improvement to the protection of drinking water. Many recommendations from the PHO’s past reports have not been implemented by various ministries and agencies, and according to the release the Ministry of Health and the PHO have not kept government sufficiently apprised of the ongoing risks to drinking water.

“Thankfully, B.C. has not had a known outbreak of water borne illness since 2004, but just a single event that contaminates a drinking water system can cause serious health impacts for numerous people,” said Bellringer.

Eight recommendations were made in the report. Five relate to the Ministry of Health, and include providing leadership to co-ordinate the ministries, undertaking a legislative review, identifying risks and developing a strategic plan, and reporting out to the public.

The other three recommendations are to the PHO, which include improving its oversight, reviewing legislation, monitoring progress and trends, and reporting out on a timely basis.