Water System Assessments

Section 9 of The Drinking Water Safety Act requires periodic assessments of public and semi-public water systems in Manitoba. The assessment considers the condition of a water system's infrastructure (water supply, treatment, storage, and distribution), and its ability to meet regulatory requirements and industry best practices to ensure water system owners and operators can plan for and implement changes to improve the safety and reliability of their water systems.

The Drinking Water Safety Regulation defines three types of water system assessments depending on the size, the source, and the water quality of a water system.

  • Engineering assessment:
  • Qualified person assessment:
    • A qualified person, who is not an employee of the water supplier, but not necessarily an engineer, must complete the assessment. Qualified person assessments must be completed in accordance with a detailed checklist. Assessment checklists have been developed for different types of water supplies. Water suppliers are notified of the specific checklist that must be used for their system.
    • Smaller, low risk water systems may have the option of completing the assessment themselves. A self-assessment must be completed in accordance with a detailed checklist. Assessment checklists have been developed for different types of water supplies. Water suppliers are notified of the specific checklist that must be used for their system.

Requirements on the type and frequency of a water system assessment is established in the Drinking Water Safety Regulation and can be found in the water system operating licence.

Water system assessments must be completed using the checklists below, which are based on source water of the water system.