Officials have decided it's still not safe to lift a boil water notice on the Kalamalka Lake source. The notice has been in effect since September 2, impacting 25,000 customers in Vernon and Coldstream. RDNO Utilities manager Al Cotsworth (pictured)
says it will remain in effect at least until Friday to allow
for another set of tests, as there's still some signs of bacteria in the
system. He says the source of the problem may not be the minerals produced from the lake's natural color-changing process after all. "We're not sure about that now. We have some other information that
suggests another source. Basically, when water goes through a pipeline,
there's particles in the water and they settle out. I believe it might
be that that is happening."Cotsworth says small particles of algae suspended in distribution pipes may be getting knocked loose during peak flow. He adds about ten people have reported symptoms of diarrhea or a
stomach ache, but he notes that's a very small percentage of the
25-thousand customers, and it's not known for sure if it's linked to the
water. About 300 homes in the east part of East Hill and in Middleton
Mountain were recently switched to the Duteau Creek source, and
customers are advised to check their water source at greatervernonwater.ca Boil Water Notice Continues Until Further Notice
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Click here to determine your water source.
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Don Quixote Note: It appears that the Coldstreamer was particularly knowledgeable about the possibilities that the problem was with the distribution pipes rather than the Kal Lake water source when he posted on Sept 3rd, 1 day after the first boil water notice at http://coldstreamernews.blogspot.com/2011/09/boil-water-advisory-comments.html
"The bacteria counts were within the distribution system and the disinfection process has been good therefore it is unlikely that bacteria counts are due to natural processes in Kalamalka Lake. The problem might be due to bacterial colonies growing within the distribution system. One saving grace is that the bacteria in question are not the E. coli species.
Caution should be taken due to the fact that the bacteria in question are probably from internal sources within the pipes. However, we must be remembered that many people are swimming in Kalamalka Lake with no apparent health effects. One would assume that not all swimmers keep water from entering their mouth during the process of swimming."
1 comment:
I am sure the difference between natural lake minerals and bacteria can be seen with the naked eye. The public has a right to know the truth. This is, and has been from the get go, a bad cover up. Warm water can create an ideal environment for bacterial spores to procreate, so shouldn't we be looking at temperature control? With the science and technology we have today, shouldn't we have good drinking water with all of the money spent on this so far? This is just the beginning of our problems if our water stewards in the region, can't be more vigilent than this.
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