Drinking Water Policy

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Letter to Council - April 6, 2010

Mayor Goulbourne, Members Of Council.

The City of Welland has proven once again that it is a leader among Municipalities. This time its for drinking water which has recently received ISO 9001:2008 registration.

In response to Justice O’Connor’s recommendation in the Walkerton Report in 2002, the Ministry of the Environment developed the Drinking Water Quality Management System under the Safe Drinking Water Act. All drinking water systems had to comply with the new regulation.

In keeping with the City of  Welland’s Vision of being the municipality that other municipalities strive to be like, Jerry Boc, Manager Of Public Works, saw an opportunity to take the DWQMS requirements to another level and to seek ISO registration.

The QMS team met regularly putting together a series of procedures and plans to ensure that quality clean safe drinking water continued to flow to all consumers in Welland. The Operational Plan ensured that contingency plans were in place to deal with emergencies, disruption of service or any other unforeseen event that could possibly compromise the drinking water system.

In July 2009, external auditors from QMI, an accredited ISO registrar reviewed our Operational Plan and our procedures. The result of this audit suggested that the City of Welland does have effective procedures  and policies in place and is following them in order to provide all consumers in Welland with safe clean drinking water.

The City of Welland received ISO 9001:2008 registration of its drinking water QMS on November 24, 2009.

Welland is among only a few municipalities in the Province to have achieved this prestigious designation.

The City of Welland and all staff, management and Members Of Council and the Mayor are committed to doing what we say we will do and maintain the ISO registration. ISO is based upon showing continual improvement of the QMS and as a result, ensure to continually improve and enhance our maintenance programs and operational procedures.

Your endorsement of our Quality Policy as well as our Operational Plan illustrates that commitment.

Welland will continue to be a leader in water quality and to provide all its consumers with reliable, safe, clean drinking water.