The Ontario Water Works Consortium: a functional model of source water management and understanding

With an historical onus on reactive water treatment in North America, most taste and odour (T&O) outbreaks and other water quality issues have been unanticipated and difficult to control. Recent severe outbreaks of these drinking water issues have prompted wider advocacy of a more proactive "source-to-tap" approach, with greater focus on multidisciplinary partnerships among utilities, scientists and management/policy-makers. However, the practical application of this management model is faced with fragmented drainage basins, waterbodies and jurisdictions, and often requires a common issue such as T&O to initiate its development. This paper presents an example of a successful cooperative approach to drinking water management, the Ontario Water Works Research Consortium (OWWRC), consisting of the six major water utilities drawing water from Western Lake Ontario, scientists from the Canadian and Ontario governments and universities, and several other agencies. Established in 1999 following severe T&O outbreaks, the OWWRC has since operated as a highly effective model, employing a science-based approach to T&O management, supporting research on source-water and treatment issues, public outreach and utility surveys. The paper describes this partnership and summarises the results of an OWWRC T&O survey as one of the significant steps towards source-water characterisation undertaken by this cooperative.