The Multi-barrier approach is a key paradigm for ensuring safe drinking water in jurisdictions such as Ontario, elsewhere in Canada, and New Zealand.Ministry for the Environment, Draft Users' Guide: National Environmental Standard for Sources of Human Drinking Water, Accessed 11-Aug-2010. It is defined as,Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water & Water Quality Task Group (2002), From Source To Tap - The Multi-Barrier Approach To Safe Drinking Water, p. 4. An integrated system of procedures, processes and tools that collectively prevent or reduce the contamination of drinking water from source to tap in order to reduce risks to public health.
