39. If the water available to users that originates from a distribution system or tank truck does not comply with one of the bacterial parameters set out in Schedule 1, or if a distribution system is supplied by another distribution system for which a boil advisory has been issued pursuant to section 36, the person in charge of the system or the person in charge of the tank truck is required, over 2 days separated by less than 72 hours, to collect or have collected the minimum number of samples as determined in the table below:
Users concerned Minimum number of
samples per day
≤ 200 1
≥ 201 and ≤ 500 2
≥ 501 and ≤ 5,000 4
≥ 5,001 and ≤ 20,000 1 per 1,000 persons
≥ 20,001 20
In the case of disinfected water, he must also measure in each of the collected samples the quantity of free residual disinfectant and enter the result of those measures in an analysis request form that complies with the model provided by the Minister. If the water is disinfected using chloramines, the person in charge must also measure, in each sample collected, the quantity of free and total residual disinfectant and enter the result on the form.
In the case of non-disinfected water for which analyses revealed the presence of fecal coliform bacteria or Escherichia coli bacteria, at least 2 samples of the raw groundwater taken or stored that supplies the system must be collected per day as soon as possible as of the time the person in charge is informed of such presence, separated by at least 2 hours, for at least 1 day to test for the presence of Escherichia coli bacteria and enterococci bacteria.
Where the person in charge of the distribution system or the person in charge of the tank truck from which the water sample comes does not have access by road to an accredited laboratory, the sampling prescribed by this section may be carried out during the same day provided that there is an interval of at least 2 hours between each sampling.
Water supplied by the distribution system or tank truck referred to in the first paragraph may be considered as again complying with the bacteriological parameters indicated in Schedule 1 only if the analysis of the samples collected under that paragraph has shown a complete absence of total coliform bacteria and compliance of the water with the aforementioned parameters regarding other analyzed bacteria. If a distribution system is supplied by another distribution system, the water supplied by the first distribution system may be considered to be in compliance with the above-mentioned standards again only if the analysis of water samples collected from the supplying distribution system shows that the water supplied meets those standards. If the analysis of a sample of raw water collected in accordance with this section shows that the water contains Escherichia coli bacteria or enterococci bacteria, the boil advisory may not be lifted without the necessary corrective measures having been implemented.
The samples collected pursuant to this section are subtracted, for the sampling month in which they are collected, from the minimum number of samples that the person in charge must collect each month under section 11, provided the samples were collected in accordance with the requirements of that section.
O.C. 647-2001, s. 39; O.C. 467-2005, s. 35; O.C. 70-2012, s. 47; O.C. 682-2013, s. 3; I.N. 2021-09-15.