No end in sight to Lower Mainland water woes
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 21, 2006 | 9:15 AM PT
CBC News
Boil-water advisories remain in place for about a million British Columbians in the wake of last week's big storm that triggered mudslides, flooding and power outages.
On the Lower Mainland, about 900,000 residents of Vancouver, Burnaby and the North Shore are still being told to drink bottled water or boiled tap water.
It is not safe to brush your teeth with tap water from the two North Shore watersheds.
(CBC)
Officials with the Greater Vancouver Regional District told reporters on Monday afternoon they still don't know when the advisory, imposed Thursday, might be lifted.
They said water in the two main reservoirs — the Capilano and the Seymour watersheds — became more murky over the weekend. And they say they won't lift the boil-water advisory until there is a clear downward trend in turbidity levels.
With the unsettled weather, they can't predict when that might happen.
Health officials say there has been no evidence of bacteria in the water and no reported illnesses linked to drinking tap water in Greater Vancouver.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District issued the boil-water advisory the day after a powerful storm blew through the Lower Mainland, leaving tap water brown and cloudy. There are concerns the murky water could lead to gastrointestinal illness.
On Friday, the advisory was lifted for about half the residents of the Lower Mainland, but remained in place for Vancouver, Burnaby and the North Shore.
There have also been separate advisories in effect in the Vancouver Island communities of Parksville, Port Alberni and Chemainus. The advisory for Chemainus was lifted Monday.
Affected residents are advised to use bottled water or boil tap water for a full minute before drinking, brushing teeth or washing food.
Water should be boiled and allowed to cool before being put in another container or refrigerated.
Coffee lovers get a break
On a happier note, many coffee shops in the Vancouver area that had stopped serving hot drinks because of the water advisory are now back in business.
There had been concern that their coffee machines don't heat water to the boiling point.
But Ian Tostenson, the president of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Service Association, said a meeting with health officials cleared the way for the resumption of full service, provided the water is heated to at least 74 C.
Vivianna Zanocco of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority said that's hot enough to lift the ban.
"We've talked to people who have more of an intricate knowledge of the equipment they use, and we're satisfied it would do a good enough job that if there was any bacteria in the water there would be no threat."
