W ater is a defi ning feature of the Northwest Territories (NWT) with

its abundance of clean lakes and rivers that supply communities with potable water. The management of water from these lakes, rivers and treatment plants (WTPs) is the shared responsibility of all levels of government in the NWT. Community governments are responsible for operating and maintaining WTPs. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is responsible for the regulation of water supply systems, providing certifi cation, training and support to WTP operators, and the Federal Government is responsible for the licensing allocation of the water. The GNWT also inspects WTPs and reviews water quality data from communities to ensure the treated water is safe.

There are 30 community water supply systems across the NWT, all of which operate independently. Some of the challenges inherent in operating and maintaining water supply systems, especially with smaller communities,

include remote locations, limited resources (such as qualifi ed operators) and operator retention.

A new element to community water supply is the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy, which was established in 2010. The Water Strategy has set a guiding vision, goals and approaches for water users, planners and regulators. Its vision is for the waters of the NWT to remain clean, abundant and productive for all time.

Of the numerous activities to success identifi ed in the Water Strategy, a key activity is the mapping and protection of community public water supply sources. Maps assist with the delineation of source water catchment areas and are a tool to land use planning around water sources; this is the fi rst barrier in the multi-barrier approach to water manage-ment. The goal of the multi-barrier approach to drinking water management is to reduce the risk of drinking water contamination by creating barriers, such as source water protection.

Sampling and testing are required to understand the source water quality and the

necessary treatment required to make it safe for consumption. In the NWT, the chief public health offi cer is provided authority under the Water Supply System Regulations to direct operators and owners of public drinking water systems to conduct and perform sampling and testing.

As part of the safe drinking water initia-tives, GNWT initiated a pilot project in 2007 to install online water quality analyzers and remote telemetry units to allow Environmental Health Offi cers to monitor water quality remotely. The primary driver for continuous online monitor-ing is regulatory. Online turbidity monitoring is required under the updated Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

Remote monitoring systems have the potential to strengthen the multi-barrier approach, reduce human health risks, and facilitate more cost-effective technical support to community operators.

The GNWT approved Water and Wastewater Operator Certifi cation Guidelines in 2006. The guideline set standards for classifying water

Ken Johnson, Stantec (Edited from 2010 GNWT Report on Drinking Water, September 2011)

Working together for communities and water professionals in the Northwest Territories

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treatment plants and certifying water treatment plant operators. In the NWT, there are four different water treatment plant classifi cations: Small Systems, Class I, Class II and Class Ill. Classifi cations are based on a number of crite-ria, some of which include: type of treatment, source water quality, and the chemicals used in the treatment process.

Operator certifi cation became mandatory on April 1, 2010, with the adoption of Water Supply System Regulations. The GNWT Water and Wastewater Certifi cation Committee approved an option for restricted certifi cation of operators. The certifi cation committee may issue a restricted certifi cation on a case-by-case basis to an operator who was able to meet some, but not all, of the certifi cation compo-nents. It is the responsibility of the operator to apply for restricted certifi cation. With the letter requesting restricted certifi cation, the operator and their employer must identify a plan for him/her to reach full certifi cation. If the certifi cation committee awards restricted certifi cation it will be non-transferrable, limiting the operator’s certifi cation to their own facility.

Since 2002, the GNWT’s School of Community Government has been responsible for delivering the operator certifi cation training program. The Water and Wastewater Program consists of eight courses offering instruction in the areas of water treatment, water distribution, wastewater treatment and collection, and solid waste management. Material in support of operators is even on the web with an Operators’ Corner website that was developed to give operators easier access to operations and maintenance information. Other information available on the website includes: water quality sampling instructions; log sheets for regular operations and maintenance tasks; training and certifi cation information; safety and emergency response checklists, and standard operating procedures.

The GNWT has also introduced a circuit rider program to provide hands-on training for operators of water treatment plants, as well as guidance for community administrations

in the development of their drinking water treatment program. The main objective of the circuit rider program is to work with operators in their own facility on operational areas they would like more training in, and to work with them to help them in their efforts to achieve certifi cation to the level of the plant they are operating. A circuit rider travels to assigned communities between two and three times a year to provide training. A couple of days are spent in the water plant assisting the operator and evaluating the system.

Since 2004, the Northwest Territories has been undergoing water treatment plant upgrades due to changes to the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines. The upgrades to some of the water treatment plants have resulted in a change in the plant classifi cation requiring operators to advance their certifi cation level. In addition, the Water Supply System Regulations, enacted in September 2009, require mandatory certifi cation for water treatment plant operators. For these reasons, and because of high operator turn over, an increased emphasis on training and certifi cation is needed, and the circuit rider program assists communities to address these requirements.

The past decade has brought tremendous change to water supply and treatment in the Northwest Territories with a number of regulatory requirements that directly impact communities and their operating staff. Fortunately, foresight was applied in the ‘rollout’ of these changes, allowing the water professionals to work together with their community and the senior government to ultimately meet these requirements.

“The past decade has brought tremendous change to water supply and treatment in the NWT.”

WTP and waterfi ll facility in Fort Liard, NWT

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