A boil water advisory for Chemainus residents will remain in effect for now.
On Thursday, the Municipality of North Cowichan, in consultation with Island Health, issued the advisory for users of the Chemainus water system.
The boil water advisory is a precautionary measure in response to turbidity levels that could pose a risk to public health, according to a media release issued by the municipality.
Chemainus water users are advised to boil water for at least one minute before using it for domestic purposes, such as drinking, cooking or brushing teeth. It is still safe to wash clothes and bathe in the water without boiling it.
Another update will be issued Friday, Oct. 14, by noon.
The Chemainus water system is supplied by two sources: Banon Creek surface water supply from June 15 to Oct. 15 and the Chemainus River Wells, which are restricted to use from Oct. 15 to June 15 by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office.
The municipality has been monitoring summer Chemainus River flow and ground water levels in a comprehensive monitoring program since 2005 and in March of 2015, the Municipality of North Cowichan submitted an application to amend the existing water certificate to be able to run the Chemainus Wells year-round.
For updates on the boil water advisory, please visit www.northcowichan.ca. To see a list of Island Health’s current boil water advisories and a guide for what to do during an advisory, please visit www.viha.ca/mho/water/boil_water/.
North Cowichan residents can also sign up for the new e-Alert service, which will notify residents of local emergencies and critical incidents occurring in North Cowichan, including boil water advisories and updates. To register, please visit www.northcowichan.ca/eALERT.
