CWWA Member Participation in ISO Technical Committees

Since 2002, CWWA members have been active in a number of ISO Technical Committees (TC) drafting ISO standards. This participation has brought benefits to the participants as well as to the contents of the standards, now reflecting Canadian values and perspectives.

All participation takes place through a Canadian Mirror Committee (MC) to each TC run through the Standards Council of Canada.  CWWA’s former Executive Director, Duncan Ellison is chair of these MCs. Anyone having an interest in these activities should contact him at duncan.ellison@videotron.ca.

The active TCs are:

TC 224 - Guidelines for the assessment of water services, which has 8 active Working Groups: 1 - Terminology; 5 - Examples of implementation; 6 - Asset Management; 7 - Crisis Management; 8 - Basic Sanitation Systems (now completed);  9 - Event Detection; 10 - Flushable Products; 11 - Stormwater Management; and 12 - Water Efficiency Management.

Canadians (mainly from CWWA members recently attended the meetings of WG 5 and 6 in September (Quebec City and Ottawa), WG 7 and 9 (Halifax) and WG 10 (London, England) in late October.  Canada is hosting two more WG meetings WG 11 (Stormwater Management) and WG 12 (Water Efficiency Management) in parallel in Toronto November 16 to November 18.  Duncan and his colleagues would welcome interested persons in the next two WG meetings to contact him.

TC 251 - Asset Management, which has published the ISO 5500X standards (based originally on the UK PAS 55 document, and is meeting November 10 to 13, 2015 in Yokohama, Japan.  Canada will have 5 representatives at that meeting, mainly members of CWWA.

TC 275 - Residuals Management, which is developing standards through 7 WGs: WG 1 - Terminology; WG 2 - Characterization methods; WG 3 - Digestion; WG 4 - Land Applications; WG 5 - Thermal Processes; WG 6 - Thickening and Dewatering; and WG 7 - Inorganics and Nutrients Recovery.  CWWA members are active in WGs 1, 3, 4 (which is convened by Canada), 5 and 6.  It next meets in Sydney, Australia November 9 to 13, 2015.  Two CWWA members will be travelling to Sydney, Australia.

TC 282 - Water Reuse, which comprises three Subcommittees: SC 1 - Treated Wastewater for Irrigation; SC 2 - Water Reuse in Urban Areas; and SC 3 - Risk Performance and Evaluation.   These SCs each have a number of WGs, and will be meeting in Beijing, China, November 2 to 6, 2015.  Canada will have 6 representatives at that meeting, all being CWWA members.

Anyone wishing more information on these TCs can simply initially google ISO TC XXX (inserting the TC number) for general information on the work, or who would like to become part of the Canadian Mirror Committees, and thereby gain access to all the documents being circulated, should simply contact Duncan Ellison at duncan.ellison@videotron.ca.