City lifts month-long boil water advisory

Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative, The Northern View

The City of Prince Rupert has lifted its high-alert boil water advisory, which was implemented on Sept. 10.

“We are really grateful that our results have allowed us to remove this notice in time for residents to better enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday,” said mayor Herb Pond.

“That said, we want [to] remind residents that boil notices will unfortunately continue to occur sporadically over the next few years until major construction on our water distribution system is complete.”

Major construction on community water lines can disrupt flows and contribute to bacteriological excesses when the water is left to stagnate in the lower-flow areas of the system.

Some portions of Prince Water’s water system dates from the 1960s, so it is currently undergoing major upgrades to improve water quality and reduce boil water advisories.

“We are doing everything that we can to protect against them, and the long-term aim is to provide the community a water system to provide clean, reliable drinking water for future generations,” said Veronika Stewart, the city’s communication manager.

Water can now be used without the need for boiling throughout Prince Rupert.