Updates to Ontario's Drinking Water Quality Standards and other regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, related to: lead in schools and day nurseries; drinking water systems; drinking water testing services; and drinking water operator certification
Regulation Number(s):
Instrument Type:
Regulation - LGIC
Bill or Act:
Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002
Summary of Decision:
On August 23, 2016 the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change posted a detailed regulatory proposal on the Environmental and Regulatory Registries for a 59-day comment period.
The ministry sought input on a proposal to amend the following regulations (and support documents) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 through Environmental Registry notice #012-8244:
• O. Reg. 169/03: Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards and the Technical Support Document for Ontario Drinking Water Standards, Objectives and Guidelines
• O. Reg. 243/07: Schools, Private Schools and Day Nurseries
• O. Reg. 170/03: Drinking Water Systems
• O. Reg. 248/03: Drinking Water Testing Services
• O. Reg. 128/04: Certification of Drinking Water System Operators and Water Quality Analysts
With respect to the proposed changes to O. Reg. 169/03, the ministry also sought stakeholder input on the "Technical Discussion Paper on Proposed Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards and Aesthetic Objectives" that proposes regulatory amendments to Schedule 2 of O. Reg. 169/03.
The ministry also sought feedback on the proposed regulatory amendments intended to: further protect children from lead in drinking water; improve reporting requirements; streamline operator certification requirements; and correct and clarify regulatory language where ambiguous or outdated references exist.
As a result of comments received during public consultation, some modifications were made to the proposal, and a decision was made to proceed with the amendments to the above noted regulations.
The amended regulations were filed on December 15, 2016 and will be in force on July 1, 2017, with the exception of a new requirement for laboratories to submit to the ministry results from all drinking water tests for which they are licensed to analyse, which will come into effect on January 1, 2018.
For more information, read the Decision Notice.
Further Information:
Proposal Number:
16-MOE011
Posting Date:
August 23, 2016
Summary of Proposal:
The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (the ministry) is seeking input on a proposal to amend the following regulations (and support documents) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002:
• O. Reg. 169/03: Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards and the Technical Support Document for Ontario Drinking Water Standards, Objectives and Guidelines
• O. Reg. 243/07: Schools, Private Schools and Day Nurseries
• O. Reg. 170/03: Drinking Water Systems
• O. Reg. 248/03: Drinking Water Testing Services
• O. Reg. 128/04: Certification of Drinking Water System Operators and Water Quality Analysts
Contact Address:
Jasvinder Singh
Supervisor
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
Drinking Water Management Division
Drinking Water Programs Branch
40 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 3
Toronto Ontario
M4V 1M2
Phone: (866) 793-2588
Effective Date:
July 1, 2017
Decision:
Approved