Piped Drinking Water Sampling Plan for Small Water Systems in Singapore - A Regulator's Perspective

Small piped drinking water systems pose a unique challenge to the regulatory authorities since the owners/operators of such systems often lack technical expertise, resources and organizational controls to effectively operate their treatment systems, unlike the large utilities that have the economy o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water practice and technology 2010-12, Vol.5 (4)
Main Authors: Joshi, Pranav S., Vaidyanathan, Ramnath, Hsiang, Lam Chun, Appoo, S Satish
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Drinking water
Economies of scale
Health risks
Sampling
Suppliers
System effectiveness
Utilities
Water analysis
Water sampling
Water treatment
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Summary:Small piped drinking water systems pose a unique challenge to the regulatory authorities since the owners/operators of such systems often lack technical expertise, resources and organizational controls to effectively operate their treatment systems, unlike the large utilities that have the economy of scale to address these issues in an optimal manner. With the discovery of new non-conventional sources of water and the continuous development of low-cost water treatment processes, the number of small suppliers is likely to grow worldwide in the future, especially in those remote areas/islands where drinking water is not easily available. In order to ensure that these suppliers are able to detect any health risk to the consumers in a timely manner, it is imperative to develop a water sampling plan that is comprehensive enough, yet flexible and practical to implement. This paper highlights Singapore's regulatory experience in prescribing, developing and monitoring the implementation of piped water sampling plans by small water suppliers.
ISSN:1751-231X
1751-231X
DOI:10.2166/wpt.2010.087