WHAT THE STANDARD IS: The water purification systems that we choose to install at our partner sites are designed to produce drinking water that meets all WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, local national standards, and Splash’s own water quality targets.  These targets and standards are set to protect the health of our beneficiaries, to ensure the aesthetic qualities of the water (taste, odor, and color), and to protect our purification systems from damage.  Please see Table 5.A.1 for a list comparing these standards across all of our contaminants of concern.  

Our purification systems are designed to meet the above standards. Through the combined effort of Splash and our local partners for consistent operations and maintenance, we lay the foundation of success so that the drinking water provided to every beneficiary will continue to meet water safety and accessibility standards throughout the entire duration of Splash’s site-support and beyond.

The local WASH Infrastructure Team is responsible for conducting in-house tests, ordering external tests, assessing and responding to test results, and recording all test results in Salesforce.

We ensure that water safety standards are met through mandatory Water Quality Testing at each site at pre-determined intervals (see below).  The high quality of our water is a point of pride for Splash, our local implementing partners, and our partner sites.  All water quality test reports should be shared by Splash with our partner sites.  The sites are encouraged to display the results.

Splash conducts water quality testing at every site during three distinct circumstances: citywide survey, pre and post-implementation, and routine maintenance.

Even though these circumstances are mostly led by the M&E Team, the water testing is managed and conducted by the Infrastructure Team.

1. Citywide Survey: Before the citywide survey, the local WASH Infrastructure Team will work with the global Infrastructure Lead to specify the number and distribution of sites to be tested across the city.  The sites should be evenly distributed based on the ultimate source of the water (different reservoirs or aquifers), as well as on the type of site.  They will also determine what parameters to test for based on the expected water quality in that city based on previous test results and the types of water sources.  Splash must have testing records indicating that the city water supply meets all Splash limits for each of the Health parameters listed above in Table 5.A.1.  These records can come from past Splash tests or other organizations testing through licensed labs. If there is no record for testing of a particular Health parameter in a city, then that parameter must be included in that city's citywide survey testing.  All citywide survey testing will be conducted by a licensed external testing lab.  The local Infrastructure Team is responsible for selecting and managing the testing lab.  The testing should be conducted around the same time as the other citywide survey activities.  The sample should be collected from wherever the users currently get their water from.  
2. Pre and Post-Implementation:

a. Pre-Implementation: Before the installation of the filter system, Splash conducts Total Coliform water quality tests on each and every source of drinking water present at the site that we plan to connect to the filtration system (e.g. municipal supply, well, delivered water, rainwater, etc.).  The sample should be collected from wherever the users currently get their water from.  Splash uses these test results to select and/or design the most appropriate water purification system, along with any necessary accessories such as pre-filtration.  If the source tested is a groundwater based source such as an on-site well, then the pre-implementation test must cover both chemical and microbiological characteristics of the water as outlined in Table 5.A.2 below.   If the source tested is the city water supply, then the selection of what chemical characteristics to test is based on the results of the Citywide Survey Testing.  If any Health parameter is found above 50% of Splash's limit during Citywide Survey testing, then that parameter must be tested for during Pre-Implementation. For example, if the citywide survey tests tested for Nitrate and Fluoride, and the highest results were 6 mg/L of Nitrate and 0.3 mg/L of Fluoride, then the Pre-Implementation tests for sites receiving water from that city supply system should include Nitrate but not Fluoride.  Please see Table 5.A.2 for the list of characteristics and contaminants that we test for depending on the country in which we work and how often we test for each parameter.  While these tests should occur before the water filtration system is installed, if this is not possible due to scheduling or logistical complications, then the Pre-Implementation tests should still be conducted on the water source before the water reaches the filtration system.

Regarding the microbiological quality of the source water, the pre-implementation test that is used must provide a numerical count in CFU/100mL (or MPN) for at least Total Coliform.  Presence/absence tests are not informative enough for this stage of testing.

Splash may be able to complete the Total Coliform test in-house, but the other required parameters should be tested for by a licensed external lab.

b. Post Implementation: Immediately following the successful installation of the water purification system and connection to drinking water taps, another Total Coliform water quality test is completed on the now purified water coming out of the drinking taps.  The water should be collected from a drinking tap, and the results should be received before the drinking water is used for consumption.  This water quality testing round must also measure any chemical parameters that were previously measured to be above 50% of Splash's limits during the Pre-Implementation test.  For example, if a site was tested for Iron and Nitrate during the Pre-Implementation testing, and the results were 0.25 mg/L of Iron and 2 mg/L of Nitrate, then the Post-Implementation test for that site should include Iron but not Nitrate.  The tests must be conducted using the same testing methods as the Pre-Implementation test.  This way, Splash is able to determine the exact impact that our purification system has on the water quality at the partner site.  Students should not be allowed to drink the water until the results from the Post-Implementation testing prove that the water is safe to drink.

Splash may be able to complete the Total Coliform test in-house, but the other required parameters should be tested for by a licensed external lab.

3. Routine Monitoring: As the name implies, the Routine Monitoring testing takes place during the twice annual routine monitoring during the length of the site's MOU at every active campus.  Referencing Table 5.A.2, this ongoing testing of the purified water collected from the drinking taps during the period of support from Splash can be divided into two categories: Semi-Annually and If Problematic.

i.  Semi-annual testing is just for the Total Coliform testing that must be completed at every campus during every Routine Monitoring visit during the length of the site's MOU.

ii.  The ‘If Problematic’ cells in Table 5.A.2, mean that we would conduct semi-annual tests for any parameters that have ever been over 75% of the Splash target limit during any previous testing.  For example, if a site in Kolkata had a previous Arsenic test result higher than or equal to 0.0075 mg/L (0.75 * Splash’s Limit of 0.01 mg/L) of Arsenic, then that site must be tested semi-annually for Arsenic.  Chemical parameter tests are most often conducted completely by external laboratories, but all scheduling and managing of the external laboratory is handled by the local WASH Infrastructure Team.

Note on Unscheduled Testing: In addition to the above-mentioned scheduled tests, Splash will test for particular contaminants of concern on an as-needed basis (for instance, upon request from a site or following any event that could compromise water safety) from the drinking water taps.  This could follow any complaints of bad taste, odor, color, or illness.  This will be managed as needed by the WASH Infrastructure Lead in each country consulted by the global WASH Infrastructure Lead.

HOW: Splash hires local professional laboratories for the citywide survey, pre-implementation, post-implementation, and ongoing water quality tests for chemical parameters.  All local professional laboratories must be certified/licensed and must use test methods that are internationally recognized as appropriate and accurate for drinking water quality.  The Global WASH Infrastructure Manager must approve all lab selections.

Most microbiological testing (Total Coliform) is conducted by Splash staff or our implementing partners.  Any time that Splash uses locally manufactured presence/absence bacteria tests, we use at least two tests per sample source in order to reduce the impact of potential false positives and false negatives.  All Splash staff and implementing partners who collect and test water samples are to be trained by the local WASH Infrastructure Team on the appropriate sample collection method and how to conduct the associated tests.

The type of water quality test used in each country is set by the global WASH Infrastructure Lead with consultation from the local WASH Infrastructure Lead.

1. Health Targets Not Met: If we receive a water quality test result showing that we do not meet our standards for health, the partner site is immediately informed about the result of the test.  The global WASH Infrastructure Manager and/or the Splash Seattle office must also be notified immediately.  The drinking water supplied to the site must be turned off until we can ensure that the water we provide is safe through follow-up testing.  All involved staff will work as quickly as possible to correct any issues causing contamination and to get the water re-tested so that the site can have access to safe drinking water as quickly as possible.  The details of this process can be found in the Splash Protocol for Addressing Bacterial Contamination which can be found directly below this section.  After we have received new water quality tests indicating that all health targets are met for the drinking water, the site is notified, and the drinking water system is opened back up to the site's users.
2. Aesthetic Targets Not Met: If we receive a water quality test result showing that we do not meet our standards for aesthetic properties (taste, odor, color, mineral content, etc.), but all health-related standards are still being met, then the school must be immediately informed by the local WASH Infrastructure Team that Splash has identified the issue and is working to address it.  Since aesthetic targets do not impact health, and failing to meet aesthetic targets does not mean that the water is unsafe to drink, the water must not be turned off at the site unless the water is actively damaging the purification system.  The global WASH Infrastructure Manager must be notified, and then based on the particular chemistry of the water and the required flowrate for the site, a solution will be designed by the global and local WASH Infrastructure Teams, and then the solution will be implemented (solutions could include: pre-filtration, additional or larger filter cartridges, softeners, improvements to water source, etc.).  Depending on the severity of the contamination, the drinking water may need to be re-tested after the application of our solution.  The site will be notified of the results of any follow-up tests.