This document outlines a four-step pathway to improving drinking water quality regulation based on Portugal's experience: 1) Define institutional procedures and roles, 2) Characterize the starting point and problems, 3) Delineate and implement solutions like a regulatory model, 4) Establish national and international networking. Portugal saw safe water increase from 81% in 2003 to 98% in 2012 by implementing this approach, which included revising legal frameworks, enforcing monitoring and standards, and increasing collaboration between stakeholders.

1. INTRODUCTION
Shaping a drinking-water quality regulatory model
L.F.C. Simas *, M.C.A. Matos **
* Head of the Water Quality Department at The Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR) (luis.simas@ersar.pt)
** Coordinator of the Water Quality Department at ERSAR (cecilia.alexandre@ersar.pt)
The poor drinking-water quality is still one of the major “killers” of children in the world, making this aspect crucial for the development of a country. In fact, usually non-developed countries have poor tap water quality with the entire social, economic and most of all health consequences.
These facts and the acknowledgment of United Nations that access to safe drinking water is a human right, turns the selection and implementation of the right drinking-water quality regulatory model critical for countries’ future and development.
With this paper the authors want to share their experience on a “step by step” pathway to a clear, reliable and consensual drinking- water regulatory model that is fully recognized by all the major stakeholders, namely the drinking-water utilities, the health authorities, the regulator or the governmental agencies and the consumers.
The road map established in this paper intends to pursuit the goal of more than 99% of safe water, figure that it is internationally recognized as excellent drinking-water quality.
This “step by step” pathway to a clear, reliable and consensual drinking-water regulatory model is based in the ERSAR experience in Portugal regulating drinking-water quality since 25th December 2003.
The first step is the definition of the institutional procedures to regulate drinking-water quality (legal and technical documents, regulations, roles of the different stakeholders and clear identification of the drinking-water quality regulatory model coordinating structure).
The second step is the characterization of the starting point or baseline, which in this case means the calculation of the safe water in 2003, along with the description of the critical problems to solve.
The third step is the delineation and implementation of the solutions for the problems identified, namely the drinking-water quality regulatory model.
The final and fourth step is the networking, which should be divided into national and international. The national networking is essential for clear and strong coordination between the different stakeholders that are involved in the process of controlling drinking- water quality. The international networking is important for sharing experiences, learning and be aware of the international approaches to tackle the problems related to drinking- water quality.
METHODS
After almost a decade, the main conclusion is reflected in the evolution of the safe water indicator from 81% in 2003 to 98% in 2012 (Figure 4) and in the increase of the consumers’ tap water confidence. Another important conclusion is that this strategy allowed the resolution of structural problems like operational monitoring implementation or disinfection and at the same time started the implementation of more complex tools like a risk assessment/risk management approach. Finally, this strategy allowed Portugal to increase its international relevance in the drinking-water quality regulation.
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS
inspiring change
References: Decree-Law n.º 243/2001 of 5 of September
Decree-Law n.º 306/2007 of 27 of August
Volume 4 of the 2013 Annual Report on Water and Waste Services in Portugal (www.ersar.pt)
RESULTS
To implement the first step it was created the proper legal framework that was revised after 3 years of implementation. That revision was indispensable to give response to a reality that was changing and at the same time to create new tools for a reality that was better known.
That legal framework, which is still in place, defined the roles for all the stakeholders and gave ERSAR the task of coordinating all the drinking-water regulatory model implementation and enforcement. Nowadays, all the different actors know very well their role, aspect that turns the drinking-water regulatory model in a smooth procedure.
www.iwahq.org
Figure 1 – A “step by step” procedure to improve drinking-water quality.
Institutional
Baseline
The baseline (second step) is characterized by 81% of safe water in 2003 and the most critical parameters identified were microbiological, aluminium, iron and manganese. Those parameters had percentages of non-compliance with national standards between 3% and 9%. Today, we have 98% of safe water and despite the fact that the critical parameters didn’t change a lot, their percentage of non-compliances are below 3%.
Figure 2 – Percentage of safe water in Portugal between 1993 and 2012.
Regulatory model
The solutions prescribed for that situation were the definition of a regulatory cycle (Figure 3), the implementation of a data management system (the ERSAR Portal), the enforcement of disinfection, the enforcement for sampling and analysis accreditation according to ISO 17025, the production of several technical documents, the increase of capacity building and a fast and reliable procedure for the non-compliances correction.
Figure 3 – Drinking-water regulatory cycle in place in Portugal.
Networking
The fourth step (networking) it is being tackled with the definition of cooperation mechanisms with other national official entities (national networking). The Portuguese experience taught us that there should be a narrow cooperation with the health authorities, the drinking water suppliers and their associations, the municipalities and their associations, the accreditation body and the laboratories and their associations. It was also important to establish cooperation mechanisms with agriculture authorities (pesticides, for instance) or safety food authorities.
Concerning the international networking, we consider the importance of being active in the regional networks (Endware for Europe) and global networks like RegNet from World Health Organization. The international networking was vital to get the necessary awareness for subjects like risk assessment/risk management in drinking-water systems and the schemes for approval procedures for products in contact with drinking water.
Figure 4 – Percentage of safe water in Portugal municipalities’ in 2012.