Water Treatment & Reuse

ENVE8900-31-R-2023W

Assignment 1

The Walkerton Case Tragedy

NAME STUDENT ID
KRUPALI PATEL (110080581)

Submitted to:
Professor: Dr. Saad Jasim

On

Date: February 21, 2023

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A) Briefly outline the ethical responsibility of the major ‘players’ relating to the Walkerton
drinking water contamination tragedy? Professional engineers are frequently involved in
the design and approval process of drinking water plants. Do you think engineers have an
ethical responsibility to ensure the drinking water plants they design, or upgrade provides
water that meets Ontario drinking water standards?

Answer: - The Walkerton drinking water contamination tragedy, which occurred in 2000 in
Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, resulted in the deaths of seven people and the sickness of over
2,000 others.

The following are the ethical responsibilities of the major 'players' relating to the tragedy:

 Walkerton Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Operators: There were two key failures:
the operational problem, which included failing to collect chlorine residual daily and
operating wells without chlorination, and the method by which PUC operators responded
to the epidemic, which is failure to disclose the results, misleading the health unit and
wrongly stating the sampling location. The PUC personnel was ethically accountable for
managing the water treatment plant by ensuring that the water delivered to the
community was safe to drink and by accurately reporting all information to the PUC
commissioner. They failed to treat the water adequately, resulting in pollution of the
water supply.

 Walkerton Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Commissioner: The commissioner's major

interest was the financial part of the PUC's operation, and he knew very little about water
safety practices. Furthermore, the commissioners of the PUC were in charge of
developing and enforcing the PUC's policies, and the general manager and staff were
responsible for administering these policies. The commissioner was unaware of the
operator's poor chlorination and monitoring methods. If the commissioner had knowledge
of it, he or she should take immediate action.

 The Municipality and the Mayor: Their responsibility is to properly monitor and test the
water system regularly. But the waterworks were entirely within the supervision of
Walkerton PUC, and the town council's response to the 1998 inspection report was not
unreasonable. The council is completely reliant on the PUC commissioners to address the
problems outlined in the report.

 Public Health Officials: The health unit frequently carried out its supervision
responsibilities by receiving notifications of poor water quality and MOE inspection
reports. The health unit received several reports of poor water quality submitted from
Walkerton between 1995 and 1998, as well as the 1998 MOE inspection report. They
reviewed and filed the 1998 MOE inspection report, thinking that the MOE would
guarantee that the concerns mentioned were adequately handled. The Public Health
Officers had an ethical responsibility to monitor and analyze the safety of the water
supply, as well as to take responsible action when they received reports of bad water
quality. They should take responsibility for the 1998 MOE inspection report and handle
the matter on their own rather than filling out the report assuming it was the MOE's duty

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 to do so. They failed to recognize the pollution promptly, resulting in numerous persons
becoming ill and dying.

 The Ministry of Environment (MOE): According to the report, the MOE would be
unreasonable to expect that all managers of small water systems, such as the one in
Walkerton, would have the knowledge required to identify water sources that are
potentially contaminated or understand the importance of installing continuous chlorine
residual and turbidity monitors where such vulnerability exists. If Well 5 had been
regularly monitored, the outbreak may have been halted. The MOE had an ethical
responsibility to ensure that the water supply system in Walkerton met the necessary
standards and regulations. They were criticized for their lack of oversight and regulation
of the water supply system, which contributed to the tragedy.

Moreover, engineers have an ethical responsibility to ensure that the functionality of the
structures and systems they design, or upgrade provide water that meets Ontario drinking water
standards. Engineers are bound by professional codes of ethics that require them to act in the best
interests of the public and to prioritize the health and safety of people over their own interests or
those of their clients. They are involved in water conservation and resource management efforts,
which may include the development of new treatment technologies, water reuse systems, and the
promotion of water conservation practices. They prepare reports and documents related to
drinking water safety and may provide expert testimony. Designing a water treatment plant that
fails to meet provincial drinking water standards could result in serious harm to the public, which
would be a clear violation of these ethical codes.

Overall, the major players and professional engineers involved in the Walkerton drinking water
contamination tragedy had an ethical responsibility to ensure the safety of the water supply
system and the health of the community. However, their failure to fulfill these responsibilities
resulted in a tragic loss of life and illness, highlighting the importance of ethical conduct and
accountability in ensuring the safety and well-being of the community.

B) Do you think that the communication breakdown and poor regulatory oversight that, in
part, lead to the Walkerton drinking water contamination tragedy could happen in other
drinking water plants in Canada or in other developed countries?

Answer: - The Walkerton tragedy was a result of a combination of factors, including a

breakdown in communication, poor regulatory oversight, and inadequate water treatment
practices. This tragedy was a wake-up call for the entire water industry in Canada and other
developed countries, which resulted in the improvement of policies, regulations, training,
monitoring, communication, and practices. However, there can never be a guarantee that similar
incidents will not occur in the future. The Walkerton tragedy serves as a reminder of the
importance of proper communication and oversight.

D) What was the effect of the lack of training on what happened in Walkerton in May 2000
on some decisions affecting, and what is the importance of having competent management
for drinking water systems? Do you think that a well-trained operator could prevent an
outbreak from happening?

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Walkerton's water system proved ineffective due to irregular monitoring of turbidity and chlorine
residuals in Well 5. Due to inexperience and lack of training, the PUC operators failed to
recognize Well 5's vulnerability to surface pollution and the requirement for a continuous
monitoring system. Although Stan and Frank Koebel had a lot of experience running the
Walkerton water system, they were lacking in two crucial areas. They did not understand the
significance of the health dangers associated with consuming polluted water or the seriousness of
their negligence in properly treating and monitoring the water. Because of insufficient
knowledge and training, they were under the impression that the raw water supplying the
Walkerton wells was secure.

Maintaining a municipal water system entails a great deal of responsibility. Competent

management includes understanding more than just how to use the system mechanically or what
to do under typical conditions. Having competent management for drinking water systems is
essential to ensure that trained operators are making decisions to protect public health, taking
preventative measures, such as chlorination and chlorine residual and turbidity monitoring,
operate to safeguard water safety. Stan and Frank Koebel were unaware of this information. In
that sense, they were unqualified to maintain their posts on the Walkerton PUC.

A well-trained operator could potentially prevent an outbreak from happening. By following

proper procedures for water treatment and distribution, an operator can ensure that the water
supply is safe for consumption. Moreover, trained operators would be better equipped to detect
potential issues early and take prompt action to address them before they escalate into a larger
problem.

E) What are the Walkerton Inquiry Recommendations related to the Certification and
Training for operators?

Answer: - The following are the recommendations related to the Certification and Training for
operators:

 Recommendation 63: The Ministry of Environment should take steps to ensure that
training courses are available to operators in small and distant areas, and that they are
customized to the needs of these water system operators.

 Recommendation 64: The Ministry of the Environment should meet with stakeholders to
examine existing training courses and establish the waterworks industry's long-term
training needs. The government should take an active role in ensuring the availability of a
diverse range of courses on the topics necessary to train operators.

 Recommendation 92: The provincial government should actively offer its training
facilities and curriculum to First Nations water system operators on a cost-recovery basis.

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F) What are the Walkerton Inquiry Recommendations regarding Sampling and
Monitoring of Water Quality?

Answer: - The following are the recommendations regarding Sampling and Monitoring of Water
Quality:

 Recommendation 37: As suggested in Chapter 11 of this study, each municipal water

provider should be accountable for creating a sufficient sampling and continuous
measurement plan as part of its operational plan.

 Recommendation 38: Plans for sampling should provide for sampling under the
circumstances that are the most difficult for the system, such as after significant rainfall
or spring flooding.

 Recommendation 39: Ontario Regulation 459/00 should be changed to establish standard

protocols that are at least as good as those in Standard Methods for the collection,
transport, custody, labelling, testing, and reporting of drinking water samples as well as
for testing all scheduled contaminants.

 Recommendation 36: All municipal water providers in Ontario should have, as a

minimum, continuous inline monitoring of turbidity, disinfectant residual, and pressure at
the treatment plant, together with alarms that signal immediately when any regulatory
parameters are exceeded. The disinfectant residual should be continuously or frequently
measured in the distribution system. Where needed, alarms should be accompanied by
automatic shut-off mechanisms.

G) How would the establishment of the Walkerton Clean Water Centre support providing
safe drinking water?

Answer: - The Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC) was opened on January 4, 2005, with
the vision to be known for a knowledge-based, creative approach to training and to establish a
world-class institute devoted to providing safe and secure drinking water to the people of
Ontario.

The support WCWC provide to ensure safe drinking water are:

 Training delivery and coordination: Coordination and delivery of training to owners,

operators, and operating authorities of drinking water systems. They emphasized small
and isolated areas. The centre provided courses like Advanced Water Treatment,
Advanced Water Treatment Technologies, Safeguarding Drinking Water Quality
(Certificate Renewal Course) and Entry-Level Course for Operators in Training.
 Information & advice for small systems: To address the unique challenges and needs of
small water system, the centre developed programs and tools. They developed a
partnership with Colleges in Northern Ontario and made available a mobile pilot unit for
hands-on training.

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  Technology demonstration: To provide a platform to showcase new water safety
techniques and products, the centre initiated design and development of the
demonstration centre in Walkerton. The official opening of the Interim Technology
Demonstration Facility on June 19, 2006 was made possible by an overwhelming
response from industry manufacturers and suppliers donating over $600,000 for water
treatment equipment.
 Education & outreach: A clearinghouse for education and outreach on technical,
scientific, and regulatory information to spread awareness of the importance of safe
drinking water.
 Research advice to minister: Contribute to and sponsor a study looking at how membrane
filtration affects the removal of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors. Work on a
Reverse Osmosis project to assess whether this technology may be used to address
treatment and water quality problems. Examine how ozone affects coagulation in cold
water temperatures. Encourage the study of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Support
graduate studies (Ph.D. and M.Sc.) to assess the elimination of medications and personal
care items utilizing advanced oxidation processes (O3, UV, and O3/H2O2).

References:

[1] The Walkerton Case Study, ENVE 8900-31 Water Treatment and Reuse lecture slides.

[2] “Part 1 and Part 2 Report of the Walkerton Inquiry”