The recommendations resulting from the Report of the Walkerton Inquiry led to the creation of the Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS). The adoption of quality management systems is not new to the drinking water community in Ontario; however, the requirement to implement the DWQMS is. It is now mandated through the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 (SDWA).
The Operating Authority for the Town of Newmarket's Water Distribution System has created an operational plan to meet the above legislated requirements. It sets out a framework to develop a Quality Management System (QMS) that is specific and relevant to our drinking water system. Basically, an Operations Plan can be described as follows "Say what you do, then do what you say."
Our Operational Plan and QMS policy have been endorsed by the Owner (Mayor, Council, CAO). For the Corporation of the Town of Newmarket, our QMS policy (Accessible) reads:
The Town of Newmarket Water Distribution System is recognized by the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change (MOECC) as a Large Municipal Residential Drinking Water System.
The Town of Newmarket is committed to the consistent delivery of safe drinking water through compliance with applicable legislative and regulatory requirements.
The Town will strive to achieve this goal through the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the Drinking Water Quality Management System (DWQMS).
The Town commits to ensure open communication, both with the public, as well as staff concerning all policies, procedures and documentation pertaining to DWQMS
The Quality Management Policy applies to all municipal management and staff, and is posted at the Operations Centre, Municipal Offices and on the Town's website.
