For the 11th month in a row, Samantha White’s water is yellow.
“We can’t escape it. We have no other options. It’s so frustrating,” she says.
Her home is in the University Endownment Lands (UEL), sandwiched between Vancouver and the University of British Columbia. It’s one of several houses along Chancellor Boulevard and Tasmania Crescent that suddenly began receiving water with a dark yellow hue in January.
“We have to bathe in it. We have to cook in it,” says White.
“We’ve stopped drinking the water and are just drinking bottled water because we’re so concerned about our health. It’s staining everything in our house.”
Get daily National news
The discolouration is caused by an older cast iron water main line. And while the UEL says the water is safe, it’s caused staining of the family’s toilets, tiles, and white sheets and towels.
“I’m not going to let them drink it. If it’s staining all my porcelain toilets and tiles, I don’t believe it could possibly safe for my children. Maybe they say it’s safe, but they haven’t shown us any test results,” says White.
The University Endownment Lands have no municipal government, and are overseen by the province and an advisory council. However, different services are provided by different groups, creating a confusing situation that has dragged on for the affected homes.
“I’m paying for a substandard product, with no help by the UEL whatsoever,” says White.
The UEL originally said it was an issue to be dealt with by Metro Vancouver. Now they say it’s the provincial government’s jurisdiction, and a contract will be put out for replacing the water line.
It can’t come soon enough for White.
“Whatever we try, we keep getting this dark yellow water that’s staining everything in our house. I don’t feel comfortable with my children bathing in it or drinking it, I’m not comfortable cooking in it,” says White.
“It’s extremely frustrating. I don’t know what else we can do.”
Comments