More training for water managers promised: Province aims to prevent repeat of Walkerton

December 12, 2004
The Edmonton Journal
A8
Hanneke Brooymans

EDMONTON -- A mandatory training program will, according to this story, force operators who manage drinking water and waste-water systems in Alberta to keep up with increasingly strict standards and evolving technology.

Robert Moyles, an Alberta Environment spokesman, was cited as saying the new requirements will come into effect Jan. 1, and that the department wants to prevent a Walkerton, Ont.-type event from occurring here.

The story says that the updated guidelines introduced under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act include mandator training for all new operators, mandatory continuing education and a three-year renewal period for certificates of qualification.

Alberta was the first province to make certification mandatory for drinking water and waste-water facility operators, but there are still problems in the system.