Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
A trailer park resident in northeast B.C. says her landlord and the regional health authority have failed to address high levels of manganese in the water supply for more than three years — and the problem still hasn't been fixed. Cassandra Ross says she didn't even learn of the issues with the drinking water at Shady Acres Mobile Home Park until a boil water advisory was put in place for high bacteria levels more than two years after the manganese issue was found.
The beach at the tip of Kitsilano Point is closed due to repeat E. coli samples above the recommended level. Vancouver Coastal Health issued an advisory on Canada Day, noting multiple E. coli counts of 591 per 100 millilitres, well above the advised limit of 400 per 100 mL. The health authority says there is an increased risk of illness to swimmers when E. coli levels exceed guidance. The public is advised not to swim or wade in the water until the advisory ends, especially seniors, infants and kids, and people with weakened immune systems who are most susceptible.
In 2019, Health Canada set new health-based drinking water guidelines for manganese, an essential element present in various foods. High concentrations can cause discoloured water and staining, but new research found it also impacts health. Long-term exposure in high concentrations impact childhood development, especially for infants who are fed formula prepared with tap water.
Nova Scotia Health says it will pause testing water for chemicals in the province's central zone beginning Monday due to a worldwide shortage of an unnamed chemical component used in the testing. The health authority said it will reassess the situation in three to four weeks. According to the province, more than 40 per cent of Nova Scotia households get their drinking water from wells. It encourages regular testing.
Vancouver Coastal Health says testing of the drinking water at a school in Powell River, B.C., has found levels of arsenic above the maximum acceptable concentration for consumption. The health authority says routine testing of the water supply at Kelly Creek Community School had demonstrated safe levels until now. Because the arsenic was found early, it says medical health officers have assessed the risk to students and staff as very low.
Once a month, Susan Chipman drives to a mountainside spring that burbles from the ground in North Vancouver and fills four 20-litre containers with water to use for drinking and cooking. When full, each container weighs 20 kg. Chipman lives on the top floor of a three-storey walk-up apartment in Vancouver. Her building has running water, of course, supplied and sourced by Metro Vancouver from protected reservoirs even higher up in the North Shore Mountains. But it lacks an elevator. So, she hauls her water jugs up the stairs, one in each hand for balance. “It’s a bit of a chore in the true sense of the word, but it’s worth it, I think.” Chipman says she was hooked from the first sip. She tasted it and thought, “OK, this is real water.”
The cost of testing ranges between $30 and $120, depending on the scope of the analysis. The provincial Environment Department recommends residents on well water have it tested for bacteria every six months, and every two years for chemicals such as arsenic, fluoride, lead, nitrate/nitrite and uranium. Bacterial quality is usually assessed by a coliform test.
