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MEMORANDUM

Date:	07/12/01
To:	Mayor & Council
cc:	City Manager; General Manager of Engineering Services
From:	Dr. John Blatherwick
Re:	July 11 memo to Council on Drinking Water Filtration

The General Manager of Engineering Services, in his July 11 memo to Council, focuses on 1 NTU. The Lower Mainland Medical Health Officers commissioned a review of the 1 NTU to ensure we were correct in accepting the Canadian Drinking Water Standard of 1 NTU.. The review confirmed that 1 NTU is the correct health standard and the Medical Health Officers shared that with the Municipal Engineers in late June 2001. Since then, much energy seems to be going into overturning the amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Regulations, which introduced the 1 NTU turbidity standard into the British Columbia Regulation. Let me be absolutely clear - the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines (March, 2001) establish a Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) for turbidity at 1 NTU (see below) and as Medical Health Officers, we are all fully convinced that it is the correct HEALTH STANDARD. This is clearly a health criterion not just an aesthetic one.

This reality will exist whether or not the province backs down on 1 NTU. The Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines will not go away. Therefore the Medical Health Officers have a legitimate responsibility to push for filtration at the earliest possible time.

The other day at Council, it was emphasized that the MHO has discretion in applying the 1 NTU requirement. The MHOs are utilizing this discretion in tolerating water that presents an elevated risk to Vancouver water consumers for the next 5 years (until filtration is in place), given what we know about the lack of CT at Capilano (irrespective of whether the source water is 1 NTU or 5 NTU). I think you would agree that it would be abdication, not discretion, if MHOs were to wait until 2020 for filtration to be installed.

I urge Council to support a decision to move ahead with filtration now and not defer a decision until February 2002. Administrative delays will occur anyway but to give the GVWD 6 more months could easily push the Seymour / Capilano filtration project into 2007/2008 completion. The GVWD approved a 2003 date for Seymour filtration, which the MHOs supported; the GVWD then delayed the Seymour filtration for two years, which the MHOs opposed. The GVWD then proposed that Seymour/Capilano be done by 2006 which the MHOs supported. The Engineers and GVWD are now suggesting a six-month delay, which the MHOs oppose. Do you see a trend - find something the MHOs support, delay it, and then find something else for the MHOs to support. Meanwhile - the water supplied to Vancouver does not meet the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines; changing the B.C. Regulations brought in by the NDP Government does not change the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. 1 NTU remains the Health Standard.

The GVWD water committee will look at a report this Friday to recommend to the GVRD Board on 27 July that the decision to filter Capilano water be delayed for six months. I do not believe that staff should be making this decision - this is a political decision. The decision to filter or not to filter Capilano water should be made on July 27, 2001.

As the Medical Health Officer of the City of Vancouver, I strongly urge you not to delay, once again, the citizens of Vancouver receiving the best quality water possible.

CANADIAN DRINKING WATER GUIDELINES

The maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for turbidity in water entering a distribution system is 1 nephlelometic turbidity unit (NTU), established on the basis of health considerations. A less stringent value for turbidity in water entering a distribution system may be permitted if it is demonstrated that the system has a history of acceptable microbiological quality and that a higher turbidity value will not compromise disinfection. An aesthetic objective of 5 NTU has been set for water at the point of consumption.

1. We have Giardia cysts in our water.
2. We have Cryptosporidia cysts in our water.
3. We have a Health Canada study linking gastro-intestinal illnesses to turbidity in excess of 1 NTU.

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver