Small Drinking Water System Operators

New legislation that affects Small Drinking Water Systems in Ontario came into effect December 1, 2008. This legislation was transferred from the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and to local Health Units.

As part of the new program, a public health inspector will conduct an on-site assessment of each small drinking water system (SDWS) in Simcoe and Muskoka. Small drinking water systems can include restaurants, seasonal trailer parks, summer camps, community centres, libraries, gas stations, motels, churches and many other public facilities not served by municipal water.

At the end of this assessment, the public health inspector will determine what must be done to help keep the drinking water safe. This may include water testing, treatment, or training.

Each small drinking water system owner or operator will register with the MOHLTC and health unit in order to obtain the unique identification number required for each system. To register a system the following forms must be completed and faxed to the health unit:

• Small Drinking Water System Identification; and the
• Laboratory Services Notification (LSN) form

You must indicate at least one licensed laboratory; however, we encourage you to specify more than one lab to avoid potential complications. A list of commercial licensed laboratories can be found on the MOE website.

If your system was previously registered with the MOE, there is no need to register again with MOHLTC. You will be notified by the MOHLTC if any of this information changes.

For more information visit the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s website.