After six weeks, boil water notice lifted for Prince Rupert

A boil water notice that has been in place for more than a month for Prince Rupert has been downgraded to a water quality advisory, the lowest level of notification.

The notice for the city of 12,000 was implemented on Dec. 14, due to high levels of parasites in the drinking water supply.

The city initially said the notice would be in place for “over a week,” after unacceptable levels of cryptosporidium and giardia were detected in water samples.

On Friday, the city said Northern Health had determined conditions were safe to drop the boil requirement after demonstrating three consecutive weeks of satisfactory test results showing no presence of cryptosporidium.

“We have now had five or more consecutive clear samples for cryptosporidium with our approved testing facility,” said the city in a public notice.

“The presence of cryptosporidium was a primary motivation for the notice, as it cannot be effectively treated with the City’s available treatment method of chlorination.”

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While the city said there is no maximum allowable concentration for giardia, it says it can be treated with chlorination.

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The city said its water quality monitoring program will continue “for the foreseeable future” with testing twice weekly. Local health-care providers will also monitor for any illnesses linked to water quality.

The bulletin says the downgraded advisory still indicates a low level of risk associated with drinking water, particularly among infants and children younger than two years old, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

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Anyone in those categories should boil or use bottled water for drinking, washing vegetables, making drinks or ice or brushing their teeth.

The city said if residents notice a milky quality or sediment in their water they should run the tap until it turns clear.

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According to the city, the surge in cryptosporidium and giardia is associated with an exceptionally dry summer that caused water levels in Shawatlans Lake to drop.

A storm surge in the fall then contaminated the lake with debris.

The parasites can cause intestinal infections including “beaver fever,” with symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Prince Rupert is in the midst of overhauling its water infrastructure and in August applied for a $30-million grant to build a multiple phased water treatment facility that it says could lower the risk of such contamination in the future.