Granisle residents continue to live under a boil water notice following a break in the Village of Granisle’s water mains last fall.
“The boil water notice remains in place,” said Eryn Collins of the Northern Health Authority Jan. 11.
Village officials say the break has since been repaired and that the village is working with Northern Health to ensure there’s a safe potable water supply for its residents.
Northern Health also says there were also issues with the proper operations of the village’s chlorination system.
The water line break occurred Nov. 13, 2018 and while the village issued a short term boil water notice, the break was not reported to Northern Health until later.
On Nov. 23 the village and Northern Health issued a formal boil water after testing discovered adverse results.
Testing has continued since then to determine when the water supply is safe for consumption.
Also speaking late last week, on Jan. 11, was Granisle mayor Linda McGuire who said the broken line was repaired immediately.
“The chlorinator is operating successfully and measuring our required levels of chlorine as per Northern Health guidelines,” she added.
“We remain hopeful for favourable results next week.”
Meanwhile, construction is continuing on a secondary water treatment facility thanks to a $5.067 million grant received last year through a program financed by federal gas tax rebates.
The plant is to be completed this summer and is being built by Progressive Ventures of Terrace and engineering consultants WSP from Smithers.
A portion of the grant, $1.321 million, went to London, Ontario-based Purifics Water Inc. for the actual purification system.
Construction includes a building, primary and secondary disenfection systems, a clear well and pumps to connect to the village’s existing distribution system.
In a release, Purifics said the system “will remove colour, dissolved organic carbon, and cryptosporidium from Lake Babine, the raw water source for the village.”
The village also received a $312,000 federal grant to assess its infrastructure which is well beyond its anticipated useful life.
Granisle was originally developed 47 years ago to service two nearby copper mines and its infrastructure was designed to last just 25 years.
Those mines have long since closed and the village has been marketing itself as a retirement location.
The boil water notice states “there is a significant risk that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, headaches, nausea or other symptoms.”
Residents are being told to boil water for a minimum of one minute when used for drinking, cooking (if not boiled), brushing teeth, washing dishes or washing fruits and vegetables to be eaten raw.