A public drinking water supply is a water works system for the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption where the system has at least 15 service connections or serves 25 or more individuals per day at least 60 days of the year. This includes municipal, commercial, institutional, industrial, and privately owned water supplies. Examples of public drinking water supplies include schools, restaurants, nursing homes, campgrounds and parks that are on their own water supply. Public drinking water comes from streams, rivers, lakes, springs and underground aquifers.
General Information
- About Public Drinking Water Supplies
- Definition of Public Drinking Water Supply
- Overview of the new Public Drinking Water Supply Program
- Operator Certification and Classification Certificate (for water and wastewater facilities)
- Safe Drinking Water for Public Water Systems
Water Testing
Public drinking water supplies are required to use an approved laboratory for water quality testing. To be approved, a laboratory must meet the requirements of the "Policy on Acceptable Certification of Laboratories (PDF: 248k)".
- Water Testing Labs in Nova Scotia
- Microbiological Sampling - Basic Procedures (PDF: 243k)
- Sample Collection and Preservation: Chemical/Physical Quality and Microbiological Quality
Types of Public Drinking Water Supplies
There are two types of public drinking water supplies: registered water supplies and municipal water supplies. There are approximately 1800 registered public drinking water supplies and 82 municipal water supplies in Nova Scotia.