Every morning before I sit down at my desk, the first thing I do is go to our lunchroom and fill up my water bottle.
It's a usual routine that most of the time I give little thought to. I used to take the first drink of refreshing water for granted, but not anymore.
The fierce storm that rocked the South Coast last week was a wake-up call for me. A boil-water advisory is still in effect for parts of the North Shore, Vancouver and Burnaby - a full seven days after the storm. The advisory was due to high turbidity levels that occurred after the heavy rainfall washed fine particles and organic material into the Capilano and Seymour reservoirs, causing concern about the safety of the drinking water.
I was in the Lower Mainland last weekend and saw firsthand how people went crazy after the water advisory was put in effect. Long lines at grocery stores and people fighting over cases of bottle water were ridiculous. Shoppers were loading up their carts with six to 10 cases of water at a time. I wonder what would have happened in a major disaster like an earthquake? But I'll reserve comment on that for another column.
On the Sunshine Coast, a recent boil-water advisory for South Pender Harbour Water District was due to a similar problem. The heavy rainfall increased the turbidity to unacceptable levels, causing problems for the chlorination system. The folks in Pender Harbour are still boiling their water - thankfully, I haven't heard any reports of people getting into fights over a case of Perrier in Pender.
Residents who get their water from the Chapman Creek water supply need not worry - that water is safe to drink, according to news release this week by Vancouver Coastal Health.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) provides drinking water to 22,000 residents from the Chapman Creek supply. In the past, this system commonly had high turbidity levels during peak rainfall events, which prompted health officials to work closely with the SCRD in resolving the water quality problems. In 2004, a multi-barrier treatment plant was constructed that has eliminated the high turbidity problems and protects consumers from the risk of gastro-intestinal illness. The multi-barrier approach for water treatment at Chapman Creek includes source protection, turbidity removal, filtration and two methods of disinfection (ultraviolet and chlorination).
Coastal Health says other water systems on the Sunshine Coast that get their water from surface sources (such as a lake or creek) that do not have multi-barrier treatment are considered a higher risk for gastro-intestinal illness such as giardia, cryptosporidium and E.coli. Residents who have a condition that compromises their immune system, such as HIV/AIDS or cancer, should boil their water or use bottled water. In healthy individuals, the risk of gastro-intestinal illness is low.
If you receive your drinking water from a water system on a boil advisory or from an untreated surface water source (including springs and shallow wells), you are advised to boil your water or use bottled water. The water should not be used for drinking, making infant formula or juice, making ice, washing fruit or ready to eat vegetables or brushing teeth.
Water is a precious commodity. We can't take it for granted. Remember that the next time you take a sip.
