For Small Drinking Water Systems Operators

Premises that are not on municipal water systems must have a Small Drinking Water System (SDWS) installed to make their water safe for people to drink. NWHU conducts an on-site inspection of each small drinking water system in the NWHU catchment area to ensure it complies with O. Reg. 319/08: Small Drinking Water Systems.

Owner/Operator obligations

Owning and operating a SDWS comes with obligations that must be met. The owner/operator of a SDWS must:

Designate an operator who is responsible for operating the system and complying with requirements for sampling, testing and reporting
Notify NWHU of the name and address of the designated operator
Comply with the requirements of O.Reg. 319/08 Small Drinking Water Systems
Ensure all water provided by the SDWS meets the requirements of the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards
Ensure every operator of the system is trained in drinking water system operation, maintenance, and safety and emergency procedures, as appropriate for the individual system
Comply with directives issued by public health inspectors
Respond to Adverse Water Quality Incidents

High-risk SDWS are inspected at least once every two years, and at least once every four years for moderate and low-risk systems.

What we do

Some of Northwestern Health Unit’s (NWHU) services related to small drinking water systems include:

Operator training
Testing your water
Adverse reporting

Operator training

SDWS owners/operators must have qualified individuals operate their systems as per O. Reg. 319/08: Small Drinking Water Systems.

Some training options include:

Small Drinking Water Systems Online Operator Training

To complete our Small Drinking Water Systems course, visit our Online Learning site.

Walkerton Clean Water Centre

The Walkerton Clean Water Centre is a recognized training facility that offers a wide variety of training courses for owners and operators of small drinking water systems in Ontario.

Visit their Drinking Water Operator Training page for more information about training courses and important resources that will help you operate and maintain your small drinking water system safely.

Government of Canada Small Systems Training Program

The Government of Canada, on its Water Quality Training page, offers free water quality training materials as part of a multi-barrier approach to providing safe water in areas of federal jurisdiction including federal lands, federal facilities, and/or First Nations communities. You can also apply the information that this federal training program provides to the safe operation and maintenance of small drinking water systems in Ontario.

Disclaimer: When accessing this training program, it is important to note that the regulatory information in the training materials may not be applicable in Ontario. Please refer to the following regulations if you own or operate a small drinking water system in Ontario.

Testing your water

You can pick up water sample bottles from your local NWHU office. Follow the instructions on how to take a water sample properly on Public Health Ontario’s Drinking Water Testing – Private Citizen page. NWHU has a water sample shipment schedule that changes depending on the season, so make sure you are bringing it in on the right day. We charge a nominal shipping fee to send the sample into ALS lab for you, or you can ship your own. You must use an ALS lab form. There will be an additional cost from the private lab for the actual water sample.

Adverse reporting

Adverse events are events that may impact the quality of water and include adverse observations and adverse test results. When an adverse event occurs, it is your responsibility to notify NWHU immediately, and a public health inspector will assist in determining the best response.

You can contact us during office hours by calling 1-800-830-5978. Outside of office hours, you can report public health emergencies by calling 1-866-475-6505. You can also fax us, using 807-468-3914, or email us, using envhealth@nwhu.on.ca, a copy of the Notice of Adverse Test Results and Issue Resolution form.