A Systems Analysis Approach to Identifying Critical Success Factors in Drinking Water Source Protection Programs

Hew Cameron Merrett, Wei Tong Chen and Jao Jia Horng
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Hew Cameron Merrett: Graduate School of Engineering Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan
Wei Tong Chen: Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan
Jao Jia Horng: Graduate School of Environmental, Health and Safety Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: The success of source protection in ensuring safe drinking water is centered around being able to understand the hazards present in the catchment then plan and implement control measures to manage water quality risk to levels which can be controlled through downstream barriers. The programs in place to manage source protection are complex sociotechnical systems involving policy, standards, regulators, technology, human factors and so on. This study uses System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) to analyze the operational hazards of a typical drinking water source protection (DWSP) program and identify countermeasures to ensure safe operations. To validate the STPA results a questionnaire was developed based on selective grouping of the initial countermeasures identified and distributed to specialists in DWSP in Taiwan, Australia and Greece. Through statistical analysis using Principle Components Analysis (PCA), the study identified four critical success factors (CSFs) for DWSP based on the questionnaire responses. The four CSFs identified were “Policy and Government Agency Support of Source Protection”, “Catchment Risk Monitoring and Information”, “Support of Operational Field Activities” and “Response to Water Quality Threats”. The results of this study provide insight into the approach of grouping of source protection measures to identify a series of targeted CSF for operational source protection programs. Using CSF can aid catchment management agencies in ensuring that the risk level in the catchment is managed effectively and that threats to public health from drinking water are managed appropriately.

Keywords: drinking water source protection; drinking water safety; system theoretic process analysis; principle components analysis; hazard analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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