An adequate supply of safe drinking water is fundamental to human health and well being.
Water that is safe to drink is water that is free of disease-causing organisms and meets the acceptable standards for dissolved chemicals and suspended solids. The BC Drinking Water Protection Act and Drinking Water Protection Regulation covers domestic water systems with two or more connections as well as commercial or industrial water systems which are used for drinking purposes.
Components of a safe water supply include the source, treatment equipment and distribution system. Some sources such as a ground water supply may be of a quality that meets safe standards and doesn’t require treatment. Other sources, particularly surface supplies, require disinfection to remove microorganisms before they are considered safe for consumption. Both surface and ground sources can require treatment to remove/reduce the levels of dissolved chemicals or suspended solids to make it safe.
Operators of water systems are required to complete training, monitor treatment equipment, report hazards and collect water samples, as part of maintaining a safe water system. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) routinely inspect, assess and interpret sample results for water systems. EHOs assign hazard ratings to water systems during inspections. A low hazard rating generally means a system is well run and safe to drink. Water systems that are given a high hazard rating are generally placed on a boil water notice until the source of contamination is contained, adequate treatment is installed, treatment system is corrected or hazard is removed. Lack of treatment, interruption of treatment, microbiological or chemical contamination can result in a boil water notice or a do not use notice.
Water System Reports
You can find water system reports at Northern Health's HealthSpace listings.
The information posted on this site about inspections and the hazard ratings of water systems is valid only as of the time the report was made. Conditions are subject to change. Updated information is posted to this site as often as possible. This site may not reflect any changes made to correct the hazards identified or any new hazards that may occur subsequent to the time of the last assessment or inspection. In addition, there may be errors or omissions in the information.
Only inspections after January 1, 2000 are available on this site. In some facilities, no inspections will have been conducted more recently than this date and as such no data will be available. For additional information, please contact your local Public Health Protection office.
Visitors to this site are cautioned against interpreting the status of a particular facility based on only one report. While every effort is made to keep the information up-to-date and ensure that it is accurate, Northern Health is not responsible for discrepancies between information posted here and the actual inspection reports provided to the food establishment, pool, or water system and maintained on file at NH offices.
Complaints or concerns about drinking water quality
An Environmental Health Officer (EHO) can help address complaints concerning drinking water quality. If a complaint is related to water quality or safety under the Drinking Water Protection Act, an EHO will perform an inquiry or inspection. You will be informed of the outcome, and whether corrective action is required or recommended to address your concern.
For more information on registering a complaint or concern about drinking water quality, read this pamphlet.