Coast Mountain News Thursday, May 5, 2016
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Nick Sherman to play Bella Coola Music Festival
Vol. 32 | No. 9 Thursday, May 5, 2016
Serving the Bella Coola Valley and the Chilcotin
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A view of the beautiful Snootli Creek, source of fresh water for the Hagensborg Water District - Michael Wigle photo
Large turnout for Hagensborg Water District’s Annual General Meeting enacted in response to the Walkerton, Ontario tragedy, in which five people died after their drinking water was contaminated with a deadly strain of E.Coli. Under the Act, the District’s water system must deliver “potable” water. Potable water is defined as water that, once it reaches the home, is safe to drink without further treatment. The Hagensborg Water District is currently under a boil water advisory as
BY CAITLIN THOMPSON It was standing room only last week as Hagensborg Water users showed up in droves for the District’s annual general meeting. The District has faced significant challenges in the past decade, particularly in relation to provincial legislation that requires all water to be “potable” as outlined in the Drinking Water Protection Act. The Drinking Water Protection Act of 2001 was
no overall treatment system is in place. In addition, Hagensborg’s source is surface water, which in theory has a greater risk of contamination due to easier accessibility from human and animal activity. There are several ways to treat water, but all are expensive and complicated, and Improvement Districts are not entitled to government funding. This has resulted in multiple difficulties for the Hagensborg Water District and dozens of other smaller water
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systems across the province as they struggle to meet provincial legislation on shoestring budgets. Several treatment options exist to deal with pathogens, such as bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, that may be present in the water. At a public meeting in June 2009, water users voted against the use of chlorine and opted for a UV-treatment “point of entry” system. This option was only available to the District as it is defined as a “small water
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system” with a user-base of under 500. Rates went up substantially to support the project, initially from $100 to $600 per year, and the first of the point of entry (POE) systems were in installed as pilot project in 2012. The pilot project was intended to discover the pros and cons to the system, and identify any major issues the District may expect to face. The pilot project has now SEE 'POE'
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