The Greater Vancouver Regional District says the Lower Mainland's water is safe to drink, but it could be better. That assurance comes in the wake of the fatal E.-coli outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario,

The GVRD admits its water quality falls below national standards at various times throughout the year, but says it's working to fix the problem.

New facilities are being added to water supply system to remove harmful bacteria. And one of the new water disinfectant plants will be up and running in a matter of weeks.

The new $40 million treatment plant will purify the water that comes from Coquitlam Lake. It will use ozone to kill giardia, a parasite that causes the illness known as :"beaver fever". It comes from animal feces in the watershed.

The next phase of the plan will see an ozone treatment plant for water from the Capilano watershed.