Residents of the Town of Lake Cowichan must boil their water before consumption until further notice.
The advisory from Island Health and the Town of Lake Cowichan was issued on Monday, Dec. 7.
As per Island Health, Boil Water Notices are issued when turbidity level exceeds 1 NTU at point of disinfection.
“The Town of Lake Cowichan’s source water is an unprotected body of water and at this time there is not a Watershed Protection Plan. Because a specific source of the turbidity cannot be specified, we are unable to determine whether the make-up is organic or inorganic material,” said a joint press release put out by Island Health and the town.
“At this time, we cannot be sure that harmful pathogens are not present at levels that exceed the capacity of the chlorination to properly treat the water. Due to these reasons, Island Health is considering this an elevated risk event which requires the issuance of a Boil Water Notice.”
Boil water for at least one minute and then let the water cool, leaving it on the counter or in the fridge in a covered container.
Water intended to be used for drinking, food preparation, coffee machines, brushing teeth, infant formulas, pet consumption, home canning, and making ice should be boiled first.
Visit www.viha.ca and search for “boil water notices” to learn more.