title: Drinking-water safety: challenges for community-managed systems.
abstract: A targeted review of documented waterborne disease outbreaks over the past decades reveals some recurring themes that should be understood by drinking-water suppliers. Evidence indicates the outbreaks are often linked to some significant change in conditions that provides a sudden challenge to a water system. Severe weather events, such as heavy rainfall or runoff from snow melt, as well as treatment process and system changes, are common risk factors for drinking-water outbreaks. Failure to recognise warning signs and complacency are important contributors to drinking water becoming unsafe. Drinking-water suppliers must focus on competence and vigilance in maintaining effective multiple barriers appropriate to the challenges facing the drinking-water system. Understanding the risk factors and failure modes of waterborne disease outbreaks is an essential component for effective management of community drinking-water supplies and ensuring the delivery of safe drinking-water to consumers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, Monash University, Central and Eastern Clinical School, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. samantha.rizak@med.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rizak
authors.forename: Steve E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hrudey
mesh_terms: D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards