Prince Rupert Community Water System
Few issues are more important to a municipality than the quality of the drinking water it delivers. The Prince Rupert water system feds approximately 6 million cubic meters of potable water per year to local residents, businesses, and industry, utilizing over 50 kilometers of distribution line and close to 6000 individual service connections. The system is also capable of meeting local industrial needs, which at times can generate over twice the average daily consumption.
As a barrier of defense against the incidence of waterborne disease, the municipality maintains an enduring chlorine residual throughout the water distribution system. Chlorine is the most reliable and widely used drinking water disinfectant in North America. A “residual” is the trace amount of chlorine left in the drinking water after initial disinfection have taken place. As long as a trace of chlorine or residual can be detected, the line is still subject to active disinfection. To ensure water quality, various types of water quality samples are taken daily, weekly, or at other regular intervals.
Water Quality Testing and Reporting
The results of the Water Quality Testing Program are reported to the Provincial Ministry of Health and are available on the Northern Health Authority’s Public Health Protection website. The most noticeable physical property of Prince Rupert’s potable water is colour. While this has a measurable aesthetic value, there is no impact to human health.
Each year, the City issues a Drinking Water Report that provides further information on Drinking Water Quality and infrastructure upgrades in the City of Prince Rupert. See below for Reports from recent years:
2019 Household Water Sampling Results Report
Additional Resources and Information
The City of Prince Rupert and our partners at Northern Health are working to ensure the community is well informed about the potential for lead to leach into your water supply from business or residential plumbing systems containing lead. The City has developed a number of resources to help you better understand local water quality, and the best steps to take if you don't know whether lead is present in your home or business plumbing system. See below for further information:
Video - Water Quality Update and Flushing Notice
Water Quality - Frequently Asked Questions
Press Release - Flushing Reminder to Residences and Businesses
Flyer - Tips to Reduce Home Source Lead in Drinking Water (August of 2018)
Following the Boil Water Notice issued in December of 2018, City issued an After Incident Report that summarizes the incident and provides Lessons Learned for consideration during future incidents. That report is linked below:
After Incident Report - March 2019
Infographic - Water Test Results
Emergency Notification
In the event of a drinking water quality concern or emergency, a Water Quality Advisory, Boil Water Notice, or Do Not Use Water Notice would be issued by the Northern Health Authority. This notice would be placed on the home page of the City's website as part of a larger media and public notification effort.
For more information, the following links may be of interest:
Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality