WC141 MarApr 2025 - Magazine - Page 28
DRINKING WATER
Harshan Radhakrishnan poses with editorial advisory board member
Mike Lywood after accepting the award for Drinking Water at the 2024
Water Canada Awards ceremony in Toronto.
“What these guidelines try to do is develop and create a systems
level framework to understand risks across the water system—
from source to tap and sink to watershed, which is how we’ve
been thinking about One Water.”
Radhakrishnan noted that developing the guidelines was a
lengthy process due to several challenges. The first was securing
support and increasing awareness of the One Water concept.
The second was the difficulty of establishing the model without
dedicated human resources, financial backing or regulatory
mandates. “If there had been regulations to back up what we
were asking people to do or suggesting it as best practice, it
would have been a lot easier,” explains Radhakrishnan. Even
today, despite industry associations emphasizing the importance
of the One Water approach, there are no formal regulatory
requirements for integrating it into risk management.
“What we learned through this process is that a holistic, One
Water, risk-focused approach holds significant value, yet it’s not
widely implemented elsewhere,” says Bennett. “We saw strong
interest from ministries, First Nations, and other organizations.”
They then worked with municipalities to explore ways to break
down silos and gain a deeper understanding of their water
systems. “While municipalities recognized the benefits, they
were hesitant to take on additional regulatory requirements.”
During development, there was a strong focus on ensuring
that the guidelines were scalable and non-prescriptive so they
could be applicable to many kinds of water systems. The
guidelines include sections to help communities tailor the One
Water risk management approach to their specific needs.
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WATER C AN ADA • M ARCH/APRIL 2025
The One Water concept focuses on water sustainability,
efficiency, affordability, and resiliency. “It seeks to de-silo our
approaches to water management and develop a holistic view
in terms of addressing it. We’ve taken it one step further and
married the One Water approach with the ISO 31000 risk
management framework. That way, our initiatives don’t just feel
good – they actually serve to reduce risks,” adds Radhakrishnan.
Pilot projects with select communities uncovered previously
unidentified risks, such as the absence of a backup power
supply for a wastewater treatment system or another water
treatment system being exposed to cyberattacks and led to
infrastructure planning and implementation actions to reduce
these risks. “There are about eight risk categories, so that’s where
the enterprise level risk management comes up. It forces the
qualified professional to apply this holistic view to managing
those risks to your One Water system,” says Radhakrishnan. It
also allows community members to completely and radically
change their viewpoint. “It essentially forces you to see: what
is the scope of my One Water system? What am I working
with? What are the risks?” This enabled those conversations to
happen, allowing individuals to see each other’s point of view.
The professional practices guidelines provide direction for
communities. “It allows local governments to understand water
risks, whatever level they may be at,” says Radhakrishnan. “
It prepares engineers to engage with communities while also
helping communities demystify the concept and understand the
scope of the One Water system.
“The tool has a lot of potential. It’s up to us and the government to collaborate and determine how this tool can best meet
the need,” says Radhakrishnan. “That’s why we have released
these guidelines as an interim set of professional guidelines.”
The One Water concept itself is still relatively new, and Engineers and Geoscientists BC has taken proactive steps to ensure
its successful integration into professional practice. Through
a recent poll, Engineers and Geoscientists BC gauged how
familiar registrants were with the concept and whether they felt
qualified to apply it in their work. “We’re focused on training
opportunities and working toward making the One Water a
regulatory standard for all engineers across BC,” says Radhakrishnan. “The long-term goal is for it to become an essential part
of professional practice, setting clear duties and responsibilities
for engineers and geoscientists involved in water management.”
Reflecting on years of work, Bennett expressed pride in the
release of the guidelines, noting their potential to significantly
benefit the water community. “We’re excited about the
guidelines’ future and open to opportunities for piloting them
to help deepen understanding and support communities,” she
explains. With this launch Engineers and Geoscientists BC
has paved the way for a more collaborative and comprehensive
approach to water management in BC.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
