Water Governance Opportunities and ChallengesPresenter: Program on Water Governance, UBC

Drs. Leila M. Harris and Karen BakkerResearch Associate: Gemma Dunn, MSc

Applied Metagenomics of the Watershed Microbiome

Objectives

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Broader GE3LS research group • Gauge stakeholder readiness for the uptake of a

new molecular water quality test• Identifying key challenges and opportunities for

its implementation

Program on Water Governance contribution• Analyze the governance environment (including

and extending beyond legislation) into which such a test would be introduced.

• Microbial Risk Governance in Canada (BC/ON)

Canadian contextHighly fragmented

Most decentralized approach to water governance in OECD countries

Myriad of agencies – federal, provincial and municipal

Responsibility for water highly complex Shared vertically and horizontally

No overarching framework (e.g. national water policy or central authority)

Approaches vary widely across provinces and between municipalities

Case studies: Why BC and Ontario?

British Columbia Ontario

Data collection Dispersed Centralized (MoE)

Multi-barrier approach

Voluntary (provincial guidelines est.)

Regulated (several provincial laws)

Source water protection

Legislation enables Mandated

Risk assessment- No legislative imperative (unless ordered by DWO)- No consistent methodologies

Required by legislation

Risk management

- No legislative imperative- Emergency response procedures req’d by legislation

- Required by legislation- Emergency response procedures req’d by legislation)

Source [adapted]: Dunn et al. (2013) Science of Total Environment

Case Study

Key findings

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‘A comparative analysis of current microbial water quality risk assessment and management practices in BC and Ontario, Canada’ Science of the Total Environment, Dunn et al. 2014. 468/9: 544-552.

Risk management and assessment practices diverge from the literature

Limited focus on microbial risk assessment for ecosystem health

Variable approaches to microbial risk assessment frameworks and management tools across Canadian provinces

Different agencies use different risk tools, even within the same watershed

Metagenomics tools may address key limitations to current risk assessment and management

Key findings

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‘Microbial water quality communication: public and practitioner insights from British Columbia’ Journal of Water and Health, Dunn et al. in collaboration with N. Heinrich, B. Holmes, N. Prystajecky 2014. 12.3: 583-595.

Public has limited understanding and lack of awareness of microbial threats to water and health related implications

Public unaware of where to get relevant information, if needed (although limited appetite for such information)

Limited planning and evaluation of communication strategies

New communication approaches must be developed and rigorously evaluated

Trust and other long term elements of two-way communication are critical

Key findings

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‘Microbial risk governance: challenges and opportunities in freshwater management in Canada’ Canadian Water Resources Journal, Dunn et al. 2015. In Press

Regulatory and institutional arrangements in both Ontario and BC are very complex

Complexity constrains the ability to effectuate SWP and other aspects of a multi-barrier approach

Water utilities and WAs view the current situation as problematic

Clear institutional mandates and communication processes are needed

Limited focus on microbial risk from an ecosystemic perspective

Divergence from literature

Current approaches are largely:

implicit

reactive

ad hoc / as needed

components of the source-to-tap system

Literature argues for:

formalized and

proactive approach

ecosystem health approach

Summary of Deliverables

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Collaborative outputs:

-Stakeholder Database-GE3LS Policy Brief (in process)

UBC PoWG outputs:

Collaborative paper on microbial risk communication (Dunn et al, 2014, JWH)

Collaboration on several other papers (legal papers)

Paper on microbial risk management (Dunn et al, 2014 STE)

Paper on Microbial risk governance (Dunn et al, in press, CWRJ)

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BC BC Public Health Microbiology & Reference LabLower Mainland Pathology and Laboratory Medicine