Managing uncertainty in the provision of safe drinking water a report

Summary: Numerous and complex issues face drinking water providers and regulators who share the goal and responsibility for safeguarding public drinking water supplies. Our regulatory and management systems for drinking water collectively focus on the best response to addressing the many challenges and managing the various unavoidable uncertainties inherent in the task of ensuring delivery of high-quality drinking water. A frequent result, if not intent, of recent research has been to highlight numerous gaps and limitations in the knowledge that underpins our decision-making with respect to drinking water management. This project deals with clarifying a common framework and approach to management options, one that can be used by providers and regulators to approach management choices and underpin their commitment to the central task of maintaining a vigilant focus on the following: How best can drinking water providers and their regulators address risk and uncertainty to assure safe drinking water? Inherent in this question is the commitment to recognizing among the uncertainties the true priorities in terms of risks to public health that require action and prioritizing those actions that can most effectively address them.