Technical Discussion Paper Released on New Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards

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Technical Discussion Paper Released on New Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) posted on the Environmental Registry, December 18, 2014, Technical Discussion Paper on Proposed Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards. Comments accepted until February 16, 2015.

O. Reg. 169/03 Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, provides three schedules listing the reportable maximum acceptable levels for:

• Microbiological Standards (Schedule 1),
• Chemical Standards (Schedule 2), and
• Radiological Standards (Schedule 3)

prescribed as drinking water quality standards for the purposes of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002.

The paper proposes regulatory amendments to Schedule 2 of O. Reg. 169/03 to adopt new Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards for:

• chlorate;
• chlorite;
• 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA); and
• haloacetic acids (HAAs).

The paper also proposes revisions to the existing Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards for arsenic, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, and vinyl chloride; provides an overview of the process used by the ministry for the proposed changes for each contaminant; and seeks stakeholder input for questions related to the proposed numerical value, benefits of adopting the proposed standard, impacts to municipalities and drinking water system owners, and time-frame for implementation.

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