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Comments invited on Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines

Ottawa – Health Canada is asking for comments from the public on three guidance documents for drinking water in Canada. Deadlines are in January and February.

Enterococci bacteria as indicators in Canadian drinking water supplies
According to Health Canada’s website, this document has been developed with the intent to provide regulatory authorities and decision-makers with guidance on the use of enterococci as a bacteriological indicator in Canadian drinking water supplies.

The document is being made available for a 60-day public consultation period. All comments must be received before Jan. 25, 2019.

Read the full document: Guidance on the use of Enterococci bacteria as indicators in Canadian drinking water supplies – Guidance Document for Public Consultation

Chloramines in drinking water
The available information on chloramines has been assessed with the intent of updating the current drinking water guideline and guideline technical document. The draft guideline technical document proposes that it is no longer considered necessary to establish a guideline for chloramines in drinking water. However, based on the use of chloramines in the disinfection of drinking water, a guideline technical document is still considered necessary.

The document is being made available for a 60-day public consultation period. All comments must be received before Jan. 25, 2019.

Read the full document: Chloramines in Drinking Water – Guideline Technical Document for Public Consultation

Barium in drinking water
The available information on barium has been assessed with the intent of establishing a drinking water guideline and guideline technical document. This draft guideline technical document proposes a new maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 2.0 mg/L (2,000 µg/L) for barium in drinking water, based on kidney effects in male mice.

The document is being made available for a 75-day public consultation period. All comments must be received before Feb. 15, 2019.

Read the full document: Barium in Drinking Water – Guideline Technical Document for Public Consultation

The purpose of this consultation is to solicit comments on the proposed guidance documents. Comments are invited, with accompanying rationale, where required, according to the Health Canada website.

Comments may be sent to Health Canada via email at HC.water-eau.SC@canada.ca or by mail to the Water and Air Quality Bureau, Health Canada, 269 Laurier Avenue West, A.L. 4903D, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9.

Comments recieved as part of this consultation will be shared with members of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water (CDW), along with the name and affiliation of their author. Authors who do not want their name and affiliation to be shared with CDW should provide a statement to this effect along with their comments.

The guidance documents will be revised following evaluation of comments received, and a final guidance document will be posted, the website says. This document should be considered as a draft for comment only.