Halifax Water must improve tracking of risks to drinking water, audit finds
CBC News | Posted: November 15, 2017 4:49 PM | Last Updated: November 15, 2017
Auditor general says utility must also do more to plan for infrastructure replacement
Halifax Water needs to improve the way it tracks risks to drinking water and do a better job of planning for long-term infrastructure upgrades, a new report from Halifax's auditor general has found.
Evangeline Colman-Sadd made nine recommendations in her report, which was released Wednesday morning at an audit and finance standing committee meeting.
The report said in order to manage any potential threats to drinking water, Halifax Water must keep an up-to-date inventory of the risks to its services.
It found overall, the utility does take "timely action to address risks to drinking water safety" in the municipality.
Halifax Water has programs in place to find any risks to its water sources, the water treatment process and its distribution system, the report found. That includes dealing with lead service lines and identifying if there are natural changes to lake water, the report said.
But the audit found gaps in the information that the utility uses to plan for infrastructure replacement. It said Halifax Water should set up a timeline and more detailed plans for replacing its assets over the next 30 years.
9 recommendations accepted
Halifax Water accepted all the report's recommendations.
In response to the call for someone to review annual compliance reports, the utility said data analysts will start reviewing each other's work and a manager and director will make sure all the regional reports are consistent and accurate.
During its review, the audit found three former staff members could still access and edit the program used to track water sample results. Halifax Water said it revoked their access and has improved the way IT responds when someone leaves their position.
The report also recommended that Halifax Water:
- Clarify reporting requirements with the Nova Scotia Department of Environment.
- Compare the records of water samples it takes with the sampling schedule to ensure no scheduled samples are missed.
- Review its setting for alerts sent internally and to the Department of Environment.
- Track whether any actions made in compliance with the Environment Department are followed.
Report on surplus buildings
On Wednesday, the auditor general also released a report that looks at how the municipality handles surplus buildings and land.
It said the municipality could save money by paying better attention to unused properties. The report pegs operating costs on surplus buildings since 2013 to be $2.5 million.
Regional council needs to know how much it is costing to hold onto those buildings and land in order to determine which ones are unnecessary, the report found.
Municipal staff often don't review holdings for years and only consider the buildings and land after people, businesses or councillors request information, the audit said.
It recommended staff look at whether an annual review is feasible and if it can improve how it tracks the inventory.
Management accepted all eight of the related recommendations.