Many B.C. water systems ill-prepared for emergencies: report
Last Updated: Friday, April 10, 2009 | 12:19 PM PT
CBC News
The government and water suppliers have made improvements to how drinking water is managed over the last two years, according to a report on the state of British Columbia's drinking water.
Nevertheless, more than half of the water systems in B.C. are not prepared for emergencies, the provincial health officer says.
Dr. Perry Kendall's 2008 report on safe drinking water is a followup to one he issued last year.
According to the report, nearly 3,000 of the province's 4,500 drinking water systems do not have emergency response plans or instructions on how to handle events such as droughts or floods.
B.C'.s deputy provincial health officer, Dr. Eric Young, said enforcement is next to impossible, but added new technology, expected this year, should improve the ability of his office to track shortcomings.
"Once we actually have an information system, we'll be able to push a button that will tell us how many systems out there have their plans; how many have sent them in; how many have been approved by health authorities. Right now, it's impossible to get that information," he said.
Young said the new data base will also help system suppliers create contingency plans with information and forms on line.
While most people in B.C. have access to excellent drinking water, the report says the government should continue to improve monitoring for potential effects of resource activities on drinking water, including logging, mining and road building.
Among his 18 recommendations, Kendall suggests rates for drinking water reflect the true, long-term costs of water treatment, distribution and water-system operation, maintenance and monitoring.
Sweeping changes were made to drinking water regulations in B.C. and across the country after seven people died and thousands were sickened by tap water contaminated with E. coli in Walkerton, Ont., in 2000.
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