The Village of Pemberton has issued a Water Quality Notice advising of recently discovered lead concentrations found in the unflushed water of 12 of 20 homes sampled in the Village and Pemberton North.
The SLRD purchases water from the Village of Pemberton for the Pemberton North Water System. Property owners comprising the approximately 160 connections in Area C, served by the Pemberton North Water System, should be aware of the Water Conditioning Assessment Results, and take the simple practical actions outlined by the Village of Pemberton, until the Village's new pH conditioning system is installed:
- Flushing your tap water (letting it run cold) will ensure it is safe to drink (after which time you may use it for drinking, including making tea, coffee, and formula, cooking and teeth brushing).
- Once the lines have been flushed at the faucet, water collected for drinking water,
cooking, preparing baby formula and teeth brushing can be stored in a suitable container
and kept refrigerated to assist with water conservation - Bathing and showering are safe, so long as you're not consuming unflushed tap water.
- Consider in home treatment options to reduce lead levels. These include:
Cation (Ion) exchange, distillation, reverse osmosis, water filters with certification NSF
Standard No. 53 for reduction of lead (Brita Faucet filters)
Please note, this is NOT a boil water advisory, which is issued when there is a risk of water being contaminated with bacteria or pathogens. Boiling water would actually reduce the volume through evaporation, increasing the concentration of lead.
Please see the map below, to confirm whether your property is part of the Pemberton North Water System.
Please visit the Village of Pemberton website for more information.
More Information
For more information, contact the Village of Pemberton office on 604-894-6135.
- Drinking Water Quality Advisory and Fact Sheet, delivered to residents of Pemberton and Pemberton North from the Village of Pemberton by unaddressed mail, 10 March 2016
- Village of Pemberton Media Release, 10 March 2016
- Additional facts from the Village of Pemberton, 11 March 2016