As 2020 comes to a close, its that time of year again, when water utilities must start to prepare their drinking water management plan (DWQMP) annual report.
Viridis has had the opportunity to assist in the preparation of DWQMP annual reports, as well as consider them as part of the regulatory audit process. Based on our experience, here are the top things water service providers should be thinking about when putting together their annual report:
1. Be aware of the due date
The DWQMP annual report is due to the regulator 120 business days after the end of the financial year. This year this falls on 18 December 2020.
Since this falls on a slightly different date each year, it can be easy to get caught out, which may result in non-compliance in your next regular audit.
2. Rushing the job
Having to complete a regulatory report in a short time can be very stressful, and may result in incorrectly reported information.
The root cause of inaccurately reported data in the regulatory annual reports appear to be more often than not a lack of resources such as staff and time.
Ensuring that you are on top of the deadline will help prevent this.
3. Data accessibility
Ensuring relevant data is accessible in an easy to use format is critical for the reporting process. Often data can be recorded by hand into a plant logbook, meaning the person doing the reporting commonly has the unenviable task of entering hundreds of data points into an electronic spreadsheet in order to undertake statistical analysis and trending. The risk of human error when typing in water quality monitoring results are increased significantly in this circumstance.
We recommend putting in place a system where operational and verification monitoring data are transferred/recorded into electronic formats in set intervals, eliminating the need to do a manual data dump at the end of year!
4. Have a plan (for your plan)
Developing a clear process for putting the annual report together is another common audit finding. We recommend that the water utility have a process for sorting relevant data, parameters to be reported, sites and calculation methodologies.
Since the report is a recurring requirement, having a documented system will save time in the long run, and further ensure that the reporting is robust, and can still continue if there are staff turnovers.
For more information...
The drinking water supply regulator has published a guideline and report template, available via the following links:
Guideline:
DWQMP Annual Report Template:
With our experience in DWQMP reporting, Viridis is always happy to assist you and your team to prepare for the report submissions. But be sure to make contact soon so we can schedule the work in. Contact james.howey@viridis.net.au for more information.
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