Vancouverites boil water for 5th day as rain continues

Watersheds clearing slower than hoped, officials say

Last Updated: Sunday, November 19, 2006 | 3:34 PM ET

CBC News

The Greater Vancouver Area was expected to receive about 50 millimetres of rain on Sunday, increasing chances that hundreds of thousands of people will have to keep boiling their water for several more days.

A water advisory was first issued on Thursday and remained in effect for about 900,000 people through the weekend.

After heavy rains Wednesday night, about two million people were told to boil their tap water because mudslides had fouled supplies from the Capilano and Seymour reservoirs.

On Sunday, officials extended the advisory for a fifth day in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver and most of West Vancouver as well as the Vancouver Island communities of Nanaimo and Chemainus.

Gregory Pearce of Environment Canada said the area around Vancouver could expect to get 50 mm of rain, while as much as 80 millimetres was expected to fall in Howe Sound.

People were being advised to use bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and washing fruits and vegetables.

No illnesses reported

Discolouration from suspended silt raised concerns about gastrointestinal illnesses, but there have been no reports of anyone getting sick from drinking the water.

Officials with the Greater Vancouver Regional District said the Capilano and Seymour watersheds were clearing more slowly than had been hoped, and Sunday's storms could exacerbate the problem.

Spokesman Paul Archibald said turbidity levels at the two watersheds were still in their mid-teens Saturday night and must fall below five before the advisory can be lifted.

Bottled water running low, even in U.S.

Some people have been travelling to Washington state to pick up bottled water.

However, Ruth Chen of West Vancouver told CBC News that she noticed supplies are running low, even in stores south of the border.

On Friday, a fist fight broke out at a Costco store in Vancouver as shoppers scrambled to stock up on the precious commodity.