Better reporting vital to B.C.'s drinking water: report

The number of communities required to boil their drinking water has climbed dramatically since B.C.'s Drinking Water Protection Act took effect nearly four years ago, a report by B.C.'s provincial health officer says.

Nearly 500 B.C. communities arenow requiredto boil their tap water in order to make it safe to drink, the report says. That's 150 more than when act became law in the spring of 2003.

And that's not a bad thing, Dr. Eric Young said Monday.

"There's been a lot of improvement in the provision of drinking water in the province and capacity of public health to assess drinking water systems, intervene quickly in areas where there are problems, and protect the public to the best of their abilities," the health officer said.

In the report, Youngcalls for the province to begin licensing those who rely on well water, andit wants small communities that have to boil their water to start working on plans for improvements.

It also seeks improvement in the way water-quality information is gathered so that all public water systems get "appropriate and timely" lab testing.

The province is also payingfor 20 new positions in health authorities across B.C. to strengthen drinking water programs, the report said.

The report is the first review of progress made in monitoring and regulating water supply and quality since the act was passed. It made the certification of public water system operators mandatory.