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Boil water notice in Prince Rupert expected to last another week

City officials have sent test results to Vancouver to find out if the water is safe to drink again
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The boil water notice in Prince Rupert is expected to last for another week, if not longer.

The City of Prince Rupert provided an update advising residents that the notice will remain in place until the city or Northern Health notifies them when the water is safe to drink, without having to boil it first.

“The boil water notice remains in effect, and the notice is not likely to be lifted for a week or more based on turnaround times for testing alone. We conducted tests on Friday of last week and again today at the direction of Northern Health – both of which have been sent away. Tests for Giardia and Cryptosporidium have to be sent to Vancouver, and cannot be completed locally, so it’s a bit of time before we will hear back,” said Veronika Stewart, communications manager for the City of Prince Rupert, in an email.

“They take a minimum of three days to get a result (and likely longer as it’s the holidays). A number of clear tests must be received before the water notice will be lifted. We will notify the community as soon as things change, and do apologize for the inconvenience.”

The boil water notice was issued on Dec. 14 after high levels of giardia and cryptosporidium were found in the city’s drinking water.

For more on what to do during the notice, how this happened and symptoms of giardia and cryposporidium read: Microscopic parasite found in Prince Rupert water affecting thousands



shannon.lough@thenorthernview.com

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