The annual Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Program report is now available under the ‘Publication’ section. This report re-affirms UBC’s commitment to deliver safe and high-quality drinking water, and outlines the Drink Water Quality Monitoring Program and its results for the year 2020.
In 2002, UBC implemented a Drinking Water Quality Monitoring program, developed based on the standard program adopted by Metro Vancouver member municipalities, the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ), and input from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. With this approved monitoring program in place, UBC has collected and analyzed water quality data since 2002.
The implementation of this program was a significant commitment made by UBC to monitor the delivery of safe and high-quality water. It generates valuable data for gaining understanding of UBC’s water distribution system and for evaluating the historic performance of the system in a reliable and systematic way. Most importantly, it allows for potential health hazards to be identified and consumers’ water concerns to be addressed.
The sampling analysis results have demonstrated a satisfactory performance of the UBC distribution system. There were no recorded instances of E. coli and two instances of total coliforms detected in 2020. UBC employs a multi-barrier approach to protect its water distribution system. Concerns regarding any indications of impairment to the system are addressed by an increased spot-flushing program.
All water quality complaints were responded to by the Facilities team and were resolved satisfactorily. In all cases, issues were investigated and found to be internal to a building; the distribution system’s quality was not a factor. A protocol for recording complaints is included in the UBC Emergency Response Plan—Water Utility.
UBC is committed to delivery of water of the highest quality, and will continue to make the necessary investment to ensure its continued success.
To learn more on the flow of water and how the VP Finance & Operations (VPFO) portfolio safeguards UBC’s critical supply of water, visit the VPFO website.