Water treatment is an important step in ensuring safe drinking water. Water treatment refers to the processing of source water through water treatment plants that filter and treat our water with chemicals to inactivate harmful organisms before we consume it. This step includes:

Standards and Guidelines

• Provide a solid and consistent foundation for stakeholders.
• Based on practices, northern realities, and science-based research.
• Help the public, stakeholders, and officials become clear on what is required of them to make water safe.

Trained and Certified Water Treatment Plant Operators

• Standardized training and certification equips operators to carry out their duties and builds community capacity.
• Training and certification assures the public that treatment is done correctly.

Support For Water Treatment Plant Operators

• Assists operators in making decisions and better prepares them to address unexpected issues.

Water Distribution Systems

• Adequate financial resources ensure that water treatment and distribution systems are well maintained, and infrastructure improvements are carried out in a timely fashion.

Effective Legislation

• Establishes minimum standards for testing and operator certification.
• Sets criteria for safe drinking water quality.
• Regulators and officials are better able to enforce standards.

Public Education

• Communicates to the public the importance of maintaining healthy practices, which include conservation, the use of treated water, and proper tank cleaning.
• Help the public, stakeholders and officials understand what is required of them to make drinking water safe