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Tavares Group Blog

Turning Compliance into Opportunity: How DWQMS Can Drive Your Sustainability Strategy

By: Sandra Tavares, Principal, Tavares Group Consulting Inc.
May 2025

With the Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS) currently under review (consultation ends 6 June 2025 to the proposed mostly administrative updates), municipalities have a powerful and timely opportunity to reframe compliance as a strategic driver of Sustainability. Much like other evolving frameworks, such as the revised Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA) and the Responsible Distribution Code, the DWQMS is due for modernization—and Sustainability integration is the logical next step.

The Missed Opportunity: DWQMS as a Springboard to Sustainability

Many organizations see DWQMS strictly as a compliance framework—robust, yes, but limited to regulatory boxes to check. The myth? That it’s not relevant to broader corporate Sustainability goals.

The reality: DWQMS already touches every dimension of Sustainability. When applied strategically, it can build a bridge between operational excellence and environmental performance, social, and economic performance.

What We’ve Seen in the Field

Through our consulting and third-party auditing work across Ontario, we’ve seen firsthand how the DWQMS provides a foundation for a full Sustainability Strategy. Case studies here.

Connecting DWQMS to the Four Dimensions of Sustainability

Using our 4 Sustainability Criteria—Environment, Operating Practices, Products & Services, and Community—the links become clear:

1. Environment

Water is at the core, but don’t overlook:

  • Air Emissions: Chlorine disinfection (DWQMS Elements 15 Infrastructure Maintenance and 17, the latter proposed to include verification, in addition to calibration)
  • Energy Use: Pump operations – Lake Huron (LHPWSS)and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems (EAPWSS) are tracking this
  • Waste: Residual Management and equipment end of life
  • Materials: Chemical efficiency in treatment

  • Biodiversity: Based on location and system type

2. Operating Practices

  • Built-in connections to:
    • Ethics and Employment Practices
    • Occupational Health & Safety
    • Labour Relations affecting Personnel Coverage (Element 11 proposed to identify specific scenarios that must be considered, including periods of routine operations, labour disruptions and emergency situations)
    • Training and Competency (Element 10, which is proposed to specifically include mandatory licensing, certification or training requirements)

3. Products and Services

  • DWQMS Element 14 (Review & Provision of Infrastructure) includes:
    • Life cycle considerations for water assets
    • Responsible sourcing: Most contractors are local—supporting small businesses and local economic development

4. Community

  • Community Development (Element 10) & Stakeholder Engagement (Element 12, proposed update to better reflect the need for communication on relevant QMS aspects between Top Management, the Owner, the Operating Authority, Suppliers, and the Public as well as to ensure communication on relevant QMS aspects with all external service providers and suppliers)
  • Public confidence through transparent QMS Policies (Element 2)

PDCA & DWQMS: A Process-Driven Path

Our 13-step PDCA framework aligns directly with DWQMS Elements:

  • Step 2: Risk Assessment (Element 7 which has a proposed administrative update of reference to the document titled “Potential Hazardous Events for Municipal Residential Drinking Water Systems”) and Outcomes (Element 8)
  • Step 3: Monitoring (Element 16)
  • Step 4: QMS Policy (Element 2)
  • Step 5: Action Plan driven by Infrastructure Review (Element 14) which should also address energy and chemical usage
  • Step 6: Implementation of Processes, Procedures and Controls as per Document & Records Control (Element 5) which includes not only the processes identified throughout this blog but also Element 18 Emergency Management which appears to have the most significant amendment of all to separate the concepts of emergency response training and testing (which can be done together), and add a requirement for procedures to identify the frequency, scope and post-testing review associated with emergency response testing, and administratively, clarify the plan to include a list of potential emergency situations or emergency service interruptions.
  • Step 7: Competency (Element 10)
  • Step 8: Communication (Element 12) and Monitoring (Element 16)
  • Step 9: Internal Audits (Element 19, proposed to remove duplication with requirements for identification and management of corrective actions in Element 21 Continual Improvement which has also been proposed to be more consistent with standard processes for identification and management of QMS corrective actions and clarify the intent of preventive actions)
  • Step 10: Management Review (Element 20, proposed to require the QMS Policy [consistent with ISO standards], risk assessment assumptions updates, raw water supply and drinking water quality trends, and new and updated policies or legislation be considered as part of the Management Review as well as the addition that relevant outcomes of the Management Review are communicated to Operating Authority personnel)
  • Step 11: Supply Chain Influence going beyond Element 13 Essential Supplies and Services water quality requirements to include other Supplier Sustainability dimensions such as Environment, Operating Practices, Community, and Products & Services outlined above.
  • Step 12: Stakeholder Input (Element 12)
  • Step 13: Best Management Practices (Element 21) Recognition — Owners and Operating Authorities leveraging DWQMS to address Sustainability. Examples include:

Sustainability Principles Built In

DWQMS Element 9 with proposed updates to identify the role and/or job title of person(s) responsible for undertaking Management Review and personnel having Top Management responsibilities, can ensure Organizational Accountability, Ethical Behavior, Transparency, and alignment with stakeholder expectations (e.g., MECP, Community, Suppliers).

From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

More municipalities are integrating ISO 14001 and other standards with their DWQMS. They’re leveraging Infrastructure Review not just for compliance, but for energy and chemical efficiency. They’re recognizing how water services affect—and are affected by—community resilience, environmental performance, and operational efficiency.

Recap: From DWQMS to a Complete Sustainability Strategy

We need the revised QMS to fill in the steps in between and drive the remainder of the Sustainability Strategy. Here’s how to get started:

  • Step 1: Review what other municipalities are doing — e.g., implementing ISO 14001, integrating Sustainability in QMS Policies (LHPWSS and EAPWSS).
  • Step 5: Ensure Infrastructure Reviews drive not only compliance but also other Sustainability criteria such as Environment (e.g., energy and chemical efficiency), Operating Practices (e.g., Occupational Health & Safety), etc.
  • Step 11: Influence your supply chain with Sustainability Criteria in mind.
  • Step 13: Recognize Best Management Practices in the sector — OCWA, LHPWSS, and others are already paving the way.

Ready to Elevate Your Strategy?

Check out how LHPWSS, EAPWSS, OCWA, OWWA are leveraging DWQMS to manage Sustainability while increasing efficiency and identifying cost savings.

Contact Tavares Group Consulting to learn how we can help you integrate DWQMS into a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy.

We’ll show you how to leverage your existing systems—and accelerate the process using Staarsoft® Sustainability Strategy Software for real-time visibility, automated guidance, and clearer outcomes.

Let’s build the future of drinking water management—together.