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287817
Challenges with the management of boil water advisories in British Columbia, Canada
Methods: Thirty-one BWAs in the western province of British Columbia (BC) were randomly selected for investigation. Interviews of regulatory government officials and water suppliers were conducted to determine why the BWAs were issued; how they were communicated to the public; and what corrective action was taken to progress towards BWA removal.
Results: The decision-making processes varied considerably from case to case; different factors were considered depending on who was involved and the water system in question. The history of the water system, lack of water treatment, positive bacteriological water sample results and the type of water source were common criteria considered in the decision process. Obstacles to the removal of longstanding BWAs included lack of funding for infrastructure improvements and technical challenges with the geographical remoteness of some small water systems.
Conclusions: The study highlighted the challenges regulators and water suppliers face with regards to BWAs: the dilemma of making decisions with presumptive evidence; the difficulty with risk communication; and the problem with message fatigue and public compliance with longstanding or frequently issued BWAs. The study results were applied towards the development of a nation-wide Boil Water Advisory Protocol, to guide regulatory officials and water suppliers in their decisions to issue and rescind BWAs. Solutions that look to improving the overall management of small water systems and that provide guidance to decision-makers are needed for alleviating some of the challenges faced with BWAs.
Environmental health sciences
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Identify and describe the challenges that government regulators and water suppliers of small water systems face which hinder the timely removal of boil water advisories.
Describe the Boil Water Advisory Protocol and list the steps government officials and water suppliers are suggested to take when deciding to issue and remove boil water advisories.
Keywords: Water, Decision-Making
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: This study was conducted as part of my MSc degree thesis requirement at the University of British Columbia. I independently led the study from study design, data collection and analysis to write-up, under the supervision of my thesis supervisory committee (the second, third and fourth authors of the abstract). I have research interests in environmental public health, most specifically relevant to drinking water and communicable disease epidemiology.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.