Watermark > Summer 2001 > Association News

Association News

• Environmental Management Award Presentation
• Project Wet - Water Gets into the Classroom
• Water for People Raises Money & Awareness
• Jennifer Crosby Becomes New Chair of "Water for People"
• Safety Competition Highlights
• Outstanding Operator Award Presentation
• Smith & Bryden Join Expanded BCWWA Board
• City Sewers - Passageway for Fiber Optics - Vision of Future
• Drinking Water Protection Act and its Relevance to Cross Connection Control
• "Open Letter" to Cross Connection Control Members
• Provincial Water Rate Study Available
• Remote Monitering Systems - Probability of Failure
• U.S. Water Priorities Report Released
• Town of Oliver Makes Clean Rural Water a Priority
• Water Crisis Gets Television Exposure on Knowledge Network
• On Line BCWWA Calendar of Events
• Free Registration at WEF Conference for University Students
• Immune Compromised Should Take Precautions With Drinking Water
• In Memory of Ross Perrich

Environmental Management Award Presented to Recycling Council of British Columbia

By Akemi Sui, Chairperson, Industrial Waste Committee

The Industrial Waste Committee is pleased to announce that the Recycling Council of BC is the recipient of the 2001 Environmental Management Award (formerly known as the Industrial Waste Award).

David Duckworth accepts the Environmental Management Award

David Duckworth, the Public Works Manager for the Regional District of Okanagan - Similkameen accepted the award on behalf of the Recycling Council. RCBC, Canada's oldest recycling council, is the first non-profit organization to receive this prestigious award.

The Recycling Council of BC developed and organized the Materials Exchange program which has been instrumental in diverting thousands of tonnes of materials from landfills each year. The program offers users a disposal alternative for paint, plastics, chemicals and other materials. In addition, the Recycling Council of BC operates a toll-free educational hotline to answer questions about waste reduction, recycling, disposal and pollution prevention. RCBC staff answer over 50,000 calls per year from across British Columbia.

Project Wet - Water gets Into the Classroom

By Nancy Grenier, Chair, Youth Education Committee

Remember your fav'teacher?

I remember mine! I didn't know how at the time, but she made me love geography. When she talked about how rivers age, she didn't talk about just any old river, she talked about the one that flowed through the city where I lived. She used the same technique to teach about how lakes are created and how mountains erode. She captured my attention and I still remember some of the things she taught me.

Bringing issues to life in the classroom is a lot more work than playing an out-of-date video for the students (remember those teachers?). Teachers who make learning exciting and "easy" do a lot of work searching for and customizing teaching resources and they usually add a magic ingredient to their delivery: a connection to what's happening where the students live.

Curiosity creates learning opportunities.

Could the Walkerton incident happen here? Where happens to water after it goes down the drain? Why are we going to run out of water this summer? Why is the GVRD improving drinking water treatment-isn't the water safe now? If my water doesn't come from IGA, where does it come from? It rains here all the time, why should I conserve water?

Students are curious about water for different reasons-where they live, where their relatives live, what's going on at home, what they've seen on TV-and teachers build on this curiosity when water issues are discussed in the classroom. Although the BC Ministry of Education provides specific pedagogical objectives (or curricula), teachers have flexibility in their choice of tools and strategies to achieve these prescribed learning outcomes (PLOs). For example, a teacher with a strong biology background and a love for the outdoors may wish to take students to a local marshland for a discussion about habitat protection. A different teacher may choose a different technique to meet the same PLOs.

The B.C. science curriculum provides a framework of opportunities for students to become scientifically literate by:

• examining basic concepts, principles, laws and theories through scientific inquiry
• actively gaining knowledge, skills and attitudes that provide the basis for sound and ethical problem solving and decision making
• developing an understanding of the place of science in society and history and its relationships to other disciplines
• making informed and responsible decisions about themselves, their homes, workplaces, and the global community.

The science curriculum is only one avenue to discuss water issues in the classroom. Social studies is also a subject with learning opportunities regarding current water issues (i.e., sustainability, international trade agreements, governance, etc.).

Water in the classroom - Making it "Real"

The BCWWA can support teachers in making water-related issues come to life in the classroom by helping them access new teaching tools and resources such as access to sources of information in their municipality or community.

B.C. is home to many groups mandated to develop teaching tools and techniques to help teachers meet PLOs. These groups operate on different levels-from provincially to municipally-and many of them are funded by a government entity (provincial or municipal). Some of these groups deliver to classrooms (i.e., BC Water Crew), others work directly with teachers in a "train the trainer" model (i.e., GVRD education team, Project Wet).

Project Wet is an international water science and education program for K-12teachers sponsored by the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. The one-day Project Wet workshops are delivered by trained facilitators to teachers around the province to offer new ideas and hands-on activities about water. The 91 activities contained in the Project Wet guide facilitate the exploration of people's relationship to water and address water's chemical and physical properties, quantity and quality issues, aquatic wildlife, ecosystems and management strategies.

"BCWWA is in a good position to help promote water education and raise the profile of successful education programs by facilitating the participation of B.C. teachers through partnership with theses groups," says Nancy Grenier, chair of BCWWA Youth Education Committee. "BCWWA technical experts also have a lot to offer. They are invaluable sources of information for teachers. Our members know how city water systems work, and teachers want to bring this technical knowledge into the classroom to bring a local focus to their curriculum delivery."

During its annual conference, BCWWA sponsored 27 teachers in the Penticton area to attend a Project Wet workshop. Some BCWWA technical members took part in the training and answered questions from teachers. Questions directed to water experts focused on:

• Water treatment-what's in our drinking water?
• Protection of water sources (including habitat and wildlife)
• Concepts of social responsibility towards environmental stewardship and resource management
• Connections between society, science and technology.

The workshop provided participants with new tools and techniques, and increased the BCWWA profile in the teaching community. Here are some teacher comments about the association:

"I didn't even know the organization existed! Good to know so many people are collectively working on solutions to water problems. "The BCWWA information was useful. I learned a lot about water treatment and health issues."

BCWWA members in the room during the training:

"The knowledge of technical people is very valuable."
"It was nice to have water experts to answer questions."
"Tech. info was great!"

The workshop

"Excellent, informative day-wonderful resources in the Project Wet book. It will definitely be used!"
"I found today's workshop informative. The Project Wet guide is superb. I appreciate receiving it-it will be useful."
"Extremely valuable workshop. Lots of resources, lots of sharing, and lots of ideas I'm anxious to implement."
"Thanks so much for inviting teachers to this wonderful workshop!"

If your favorite teacher had been offered an opportunity like the Project Wet workshop, you'd see her or him in one of these pictures!

BCWWA Gold Stars

Special thanks to the following BCWWA members and staff who helped make the Project Wet workshop a success:

Kevin Ramsay Del Haylock Diana Dempsey Mike Nolan Jim Levine Bob Jones Jeannie Lee

Jennifer Crosby Renee Clark Bill Muir Eric Jackson Barry Boettger

BCWWA Youth Education Committee

Thanks to all BCWWA members who expressed interest (with Jim Levine's help!) in the Youth Education Committee. For information about the committee, please contact Nancy Grenier, GVRD Community Relations Co-Ordinator, at 604-436-6862 or nancy.grenier@gvrd.bc.ca.

Water for People Raises Money & Awareness

By Jennifer Crosby, Committee Chair

It was a record-breaking year for fund-raising at the BCWWA Annual Conference.

An amazing 428 rice cakes were sold this year and the race was held in an environmentally-sound manner on our brand new RICE CAKE RACE COURSE (patent pending by Leon Cake!). Leo Albrecht had the winning cake this year and was presented with a beautiful hand carved mask from Louie and Lisa's community (Hesquiaht First Nation). Next year, at the conference in Whistler, will be the 10th annual Rice Cake Race (being dubbed the Rice Cake 500!). The race raised $2140 this year, as compared to $1685 last year!

The Silent Auction received 46 donated items this year and raised a total of $2668. This is nearly double last year's amount of $1597!

In addition, a putting contest was held at the Golf Tournament and raised an additional $120 for Water for People.

The Pennies for People pennies have not yet been counted, but we think there is about $100 there.

I should also point out that two WFP committee members were given awards this year: Lisa Leblanc was given the Outstanding Contribution to BCWWA Award and Louie Sabbas was presented with the Operator of the Year Award.

The grand total of all these fund-raising events is $5028, essentially double last year's amount of $2542! Wow that is truly remarkable! This money will be sent to WFP Canada and directed to our adopted country - Guatemala.

The Water for People Committee, namely, Akemi Siu, Peter Thompson, Robert Wridgway, Carrie Spear, Peter Coxon, Francisco Perello, Mark Hewett, Kris Kingston, Leon Cake, Louie Sabbas, Lisa Sabbas, Dwayne Doucette, Marcus Lem, Drew MacTaggart, Bruce Wilson, Jennifer Crosby wishes to thank these companies and/or individuals for their donated items:

Pacific Poly Pipe Trojan Industries Municipal Solutions Ltd. Aplin Martin Galaxy Plastics BCWWA BCA Clearwater Cytec Mount Washington Resort Doug & Judy Neden Kerr Wood Leidel EBAA Iron Anachemia Science Canada Pipeline Accessories Terminal City Ironworks (ACS) Inc.

Westburne Waterworks Omega Communications Alberta Locators Inc. Stantec Consulting Ltd. CLOW Canada Insituform Technologies Ltd. Singer Valve Invensys Metering Systems Eau Canada Sigma Corp. Infiltrator Systems Inc. FMC Corp. Banyan Services R & D McCabe Ltd. FLYGT

Water for people also wants to thank some people that are not members of the committee, helped out a great deal: Jim Levin, Nancy Grenier, Barry Biddle, Diana Dempsey, Xue Wang, Vilma Rosa, and Del Haylock! There are certainly lots more too!

Jennifer Crosby Becomes New Chair of "Water for People" Committee

The Water for People Committee is pleased to announce that Jennifer Crosby has agreed to take on the position as Chairperson. Jennifer works at the Greater Vancouver Regional District in the Water Treatment and Research Division, specifically on the Drinking Water Treatment Program. A graduate in chemical Engineering from McGill University, Jennifer has lived in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Calgary, Montreal & Winnipeg, but now calls Vancouver home!

Safety Competition Highlights

The Annual Conference in Penticton was the venue for the annual BCWWA Safety Competition. The Competition was a huge success with six teams competing for three top prizes and awards. With support from Worker's Compensation Board and St. John's Ambulance, each team of three operators used their skills and ingenuity in emergency situations focussing on rescue, recovery and resuscitation. The winning teams were:

First Place: Whistler, Gold Medal: Mark Caulton, Shawn Rowley & Rankin Smith as well as Nelson Bastien (Supervisor)

Second Place: Greater Vancouver Regional District: Rich Gagnon, Al Whiting, & Roy Nees

Third Place: Greater Vancouver Regional District: Dan Deacon, Tony Distasio and Tony Smerychynski

Outstanding Operator Award Presented

Louie Sabbas from Hot Springs Cove, Vancouver Island is the recipient of the Vic Terry BCWWA Award for demonstrating ingenuity and proficiency in plant operations and/or maintenance. Joe McGowan, Chairman of the Environmental Operators Certification Program is shown presenting the award during the BCWWA Annual Meeting.

Mr. McGowan praised Mr. Sabbas and noted that "this years nominee has been the primary Operator of the water and wastewater system in a remote community on the West Coast of Vancouver Island for the past 12 years. His water system consists of a groundwater source piped to the community where it is chlorinated and pumped to the customers. The sewer system is a conventional gravity system with a single lift station pumping to a pre-treatment facility. He is also responsible for garbage collection and operation of the community's incinerator. If something should go wrong, he is on his own. The nearest community is Ahousaht which is about a half hour boat ride away in good weather.

With his desire to stay current within the industry, Louie is a member of BCWWA and is an EOCP Certified Level 2 Water Distribution Operator. He attends training courses whenever he can get away and offers his expertise and experience to other small communities along the coast. A major interest of his is seeing other Operators in small communities obtain certification. He is a long time resident and very active in his community. Louie is married and has 4 children. His hobbies include the community basketball program and escorting the kids to various basketball tournaments up and down the coast, with a little sport fishing thrown in when he has time".

Smith & Bryden Join Expanded BCWWA Board

At the 2001 Annual Meeting in Penticton, BCWWA's membership approved increasing the board of directors to eighteen and a new position of Vancouver Island Director was created. The Board also elected a new state of directors for 2001 - 2002.

Bob Smith, BCWWA's new Director for Vancouver Island

Bob Smith joins BCWWA as the director for Vancouver Island and Jack Bryden was acclaimed as Water Environment Trustee as part of the proposed slate of directors for the coming year.

"We are pleased that talented individuals such as Bob and Jack with their wealth of public sector expertise are joining our Board" said Rick Corbett, President of BCWWA. "I know that they will make a major contribution to our Association in the coming year".

Bob Smith is the Director of Public Health Protection Branch and has been an employee of the Ministry of Health since September 1967. He has worked in Chilliwack, Golden, Revelstoke, White Rock, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo before returning to Victoria in 1979. As Director, he has program responsibility for food service establishments, fish plants, milk processing plants, slaughterhouses, indoor air, swimming pools, solid and on-site sewage disposal and public and private drinking water supplies.

However, it is in the area of drinking water that Bob has focussed considerable attention in the last couple of months working on the recently amended safe Drinking water regulations and the development of the Drinking Water Protection Act. He is a strong supporter of training and certification of water works operators and the increased protection to the public from well run and managed water systems.

Jack Bryden is a professional agrologist with the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. Jack is the past chair of BCWWA's Small Wastewater Systems Committee and along with Environment Canada's assistance has helped organize the successful seminar "Decentralized Sewage Treatment - Alternatives to the Big Pipe". Jack assisted in writing BC's original Production and Use of Compost Regulation and the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation, which includes treatment and land application requirements for septage and municipal biosolids. Jack is the Ministry's representative at meetings to establish Canada Wide Standards for mercury discharges to the environment. Jack's Masters thesis examined the potential of revising the Universal Soil Loss Equation to calculate erosion rates in grassland areas of Southern Africa. In recent years he has taught extension courses at the University of Victoria on biosolids land application and Royal Roads University on soil-based wastewater treatment. Jack's interests continue to be wastewater systems that conserve water and allow water and solids to be recycled beneficially to the environment.

City Sewers - Passageway for Fiber Optics - Vision of Future

The following article, in abridged form, is reprinted from the March 2001 issue of Trenchless Technology magazine.

The advent of delivery of fiber optic lines via the sewer infrastructure system is dawning. With the passage of the Telecommunications Act in the USA in 1996, much has changed in the telephone industry. Deregulation has led to increased competitiveness with deployment of high-speed metropolitan area fiber-optic network rings via existing sewer lines. Instead of excavating major stretches of urban sprawl, the telecommunications experts spawned the idea of partnering with utilities managing sewer networks.

And how is it possible to crawl into sewers as small as 8 inches to hang fiber optic cables, and do it fast enough to connect more than 750,000 commercial buildings to metro fiber loops already circling the cities? The answer ---using swiss robots, up to 100 with a value of $100 million that will enter 40 sewers in major U.S. cities in the next few years to deploy the fiber optic system. These small computer-driven robots install alloy rings to support the fiber-optic cables inside the sewer pipes. Up to nine fiber-optic cables in alloy conduits can be installed side by side in a sewer system. The rings act as a reinforcing skeleton, increasing the load carrying capacity of the aging sewer pipe, while taking up less than 1 percent of the flow capacity of the sewer. All of the sewer inspections can be done by means of CCTV robots and sewer cleaning can be done as usual with high-pressure cleaning without disturbing fiber-optic installations. Sewer systems equipped with such technology can be maintained by a number of standard trenchless rehab methods.

This is a win, win situation for all parties. The sewer owner is able to generate additional revenue from the lease of the undergone sewer network, while adding value to the buildings in the city that have access to end-to-end fiber-optic connectivity.

Drinking Water Protection Act and Its Relevance to Cross Connection Control

• April 5, 2001 - Bill 20 received First Reading in the BC Legislature. The intent of this Bill is to safeguard community and environmental health by establishing new measures to protect drinking water.
• April 10, 2001 - Bill received Second Reading.
• April 11, 2001 - Bill received Third Reading and Royal Assent.

The BCWWA and the Cross Connection Control Committee are very proud of our input and involvement in the development of this new Act. We were honored to be asked to participate in providing information on several areas of expertise, of which cross connection was a very important one. Although this Act still must be further defined by way of Regulations, we are looking forward to working with the new Government to make this an effective vehicle to ensure that each and every person who resides in our province has safe drinking water.

"Open Letter" to Cross Connection Members

On more than one occasion we have received phone calls or e-mail asking for direction on key issues. One that comes to mind involves numerous School Districts and Cities employing certified testers to maintain and test backflow devices installed in buildings and other locations within their area. In some cases there may not be two testable devices of each type. You should know that current regulations require that a tester provide proof that he/she tests a minimum of two devices of each type to maintain an active status. For example, maybe there are no Pressure Vacuum Breakers installed at any site, so how does one deal with this to remain an active tester? By installing the needed two different types of PVB'S in a shop area, or on a piece of equipment solves this problem. These could be in the smaller diameter of course, but the tester now has devices needed to meet the regulations.

The Cross Connection Control Committee would like to hear from those of you across the Province who already have programs in place. With the majority of our Committee Members living and working in the Greater Vancouver and Victoria areas, our awareness as to who operates cross connection programs is somewhat limited. Please contact Vilma Rosa or Del Haylock at (604) 540-0111 and provide us with information about your program.

Provincial Water Rate Study Available!

The BCWWA's Water Use Efficiency Committee recently initiated a Provincial Water Rate Study. The study was carried out between January and February 2001, by the City of Vernon. Funding for the study was provided by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs under the Local Government Grants Program.

The purpose of the study was to assemble current water rate structures in BC so the information could be made available to all water suppliers to assist in setting appropriate water rates. All cities, districts, towns, villages and Regional districts in the current Union of BC Municipalities listing were contacted and water rates obtained. Each one lists water rates for metered and unmetered accounts, as well as any other special features such as meter rental charges, minimum billings, parcel taxes, etc.

Provincial officials have indicated that they will provide commentary and useful interpretative clarification to make the report timely and meaningful for interested parties.

The information presented in this study will assist water purveyors throughout the province in setting water rates that are meaningful, and responsible, and that will encourage water efficiency by users.

Order your copy today by sending the following information:

I am interested in ordering the Water Use Efficiency Committees Provincial Water Rate Study:

$49.95 CD Rom $39.95 Hard Copy

Name

Address

Organization

Telephone

Facsimile

Email

Forms should be faxed to (604) 540-4077 or mailed to BCWWA, #342 - 17 Fawcett Road, Coquitlam, B.C. V3K 6V2.

Remote Monitoring Systems - Probability of Failure

By Geoff Hancock, C2001 Hancock Sigma Sensing

Elizabeth 1st on viewing the approaching Spanish Amada in 1588 and her own naval capability stated 'The probability of failure does not exist' Present day high mtbf components used in aerospace and military systems allow remote water monitoring systems to be left unattended to take care of the daily routines of establishing correct limits for Turbidity and Residual Chlorine, either delivered to our reservoir's or taken from their outlets. Our Regional Health Boards have stipulated that water utilities across British Columbia must provide water quality samples according to our population densities, (eg) 100,000 pop, requires 90 samples/month and higher population densities require additional samples at 1 per 1,000 population, therefore sampling for 150,000 would require 140 samples/month.

Many different skills are required to establish remote water quality monitoring systems in our municipalities, requiring both instrumentation and data communications expertise, monitoring water quality samples manually in remote locations requires a small team to retrieve this data daily. Remote monitoring systems allow reduced workloads so that essential tasks can be scheduled, leaving the routine maintenance to systems. Since local topography of municipalities affects the sampling locations, therefore 'remote monitoring systems' have rapidly become an essential part of our water infrastructure.

We had to wait until technology caught up in the 1970's and the advent of the microprocessor to take us beyond the 8-bit barrier and the capability of measuring parameters to an accuracy of < 0.39% which then led us to 16 bit processing (15 ppm). Measurement of parameters close to zero, (ie) Turbidity & Cl2 require input offsets and sophisticated drift compensation which stretched our requirement specifications to military standard components and the reliability performance testing to reduce the probability of failures from (p+q)n using burn-in infant mortality predictions. Most of our military capability is determined by the ability to complete a mission and minimize the probability of failure. Reef: MIL-HBK-417X and Rome Air Defense Crop (RADC) specifications. In protecting our municipal water distribution systems we have to take on the task of reducing these probabilities to zero. Flexible systems are made up from off the shelf system modules that are manufactured to a standard complete with customer warranty, and their reliability is based on acceptable criteria.

Without water monitoring our natural water sources are exposed to environmental effects, eg. reservoir erosion from excessive rainfall, can send turbidity limits over full-scale, resulting in abrasive particles and sediments entering the distribution system, leading to mechanisms of contamination and disease, Cl2 analyzers can also become contaminated, and measurement errors in Cl2 can be caused, also switching from piped sources in summer time to well water sources with intense farming nearby.

Currently Insurance underwriters are reluctant to offer professional liability and take on the risks of control of water parameters, whoever does accept these challenges for our future, will have to look at the reliability and system components that make up this new infrastructure. Providing water quality data is only part of the equation, water municipalities will also have to use the data and close the control loop. The World Bank warned us in Aug 95 that the wars of the last century were about oil, but wars of this century will be over water, as we stand in 2001 looking at our future, these wars are already being fought in our drinking water, following incidents at Walkerton, Ontario and in North Battleford, Sask. The probability of failure of course does exist, and it is our responsibility to keep this as low as possible.

For further information on this issue, visit www.sigmaengineering.com

U.S. Water Priorities Report Released

The Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) recently released a report that identified the top 10 water resource challenges facing the United States. The national report documents the results of 16 public listening sessions held across the country from June to November 2000.

"The listening sessions were led by an independent facilitator and attended by a broad cross-section of people across the nation with different outlooks on the nation's water challenges," said Mark Gmitro, the sessions' program manager.

The national report focuses on the federal role and will be used to make informed procedural and institutional changes within the federal government. It is also being presented to Congress and other decision-makers for consideration.

The 3,400 concerns identified by listening session participants were grouped into 10 general challenges:

1. Manage watersheds holistically. Achieve balance between social needs, economic development and the environment within an entire watershed.
2. Manage floodplain and coastal zones. Protect Americans from severe storms/natural disasters to minimize social, economic, and environmental impacts.
3. Respond to disasters. Plan for, prepare for and respond to emergencies resulting from natural disasters and technological emergencies.
4. Deal with community water infrastructure issues. Consider and plan for the implications of aging water resources infrastructure, urban growth and development, and water supply and treatment on a community's ability to be prosperous and sustainable.
5. Regulate dredge and fill activities. Ensure fair, adequate and efficient permitting to protect wetlands and other waters of the United States from development and improper use.
6. Deal with marine transportation system issues. Transform the marine transportation system to meet 21st-century demands.
7. Restore and protect the environment. Restore degraded environment resulting from past development and seek to protect the environment in new development.
8. Improve recreational offerings. Provide recreation opportunities for all Americans and their guests on national lands and waters.
9. Improve project processes. Ensure significant communication, information, public input and analysis for successful project development.
10. Institute institutional changes. Streamline and improve federal water resources authorities, laws, policies, and funding to better align the federal government's priorities, goals, and objectives.

The full national report, executive summary of the national report, and reports from each of the listening sessions can be viewed at US Army Corps of Engineers Web site.

Town of Oliver Makes Clean Rural Water A Priority

In the wake of the Walkerton water tragedy and amidst the current parasitic outbreak in North Battleford, the Town of Oliver has put forward a plan to finally apply for funding to go ahead with "twinning" rural water mains, thus separating drinking water from irrigation water.

The $3.5 million project could begin as early as next year, contingent on receiving two-thirds of the cost through government grants. The concept to separate rural drinking water from irrigation water has been discussed by various councils over the past decade due to concerns that chlorination alone was not enough to ensure public safety. The new distribution system would run a parallel system to supply chlorinated well water, rather than ditch water, to rural users during irrigation season.

The $3.5 million cost would be split over four years. If the project is approved in next year's budget, council has yet to decide if those costs would be shared by Oliver taxpayers as a whole or only through the rural water users who benefit from the water main twinning.

Water Crisis gets Television Exposure on Knowledge Network

Through the efforts of BCWWA and WEF, the Knowledge Television Network will present a new 13 part series called "Water, the Drop of Life. Tune in and hear Ted Danson, Anita Roddick, and the Dalai Lama head an international cast of figures. Airing in BC for the first time ever on KNTW, the series starts on Tuesday, May 15th at 8:30 p.m. and continues every week for 13 consecutive weeks in the same time slot. The program is about the history, lore of modern day issues surrounding the world's most precious commodity ---- water!

With footage from more than 30 countries and commentary from some of the world's best-known figures, Water: The Drop of Life is a global exploration of our relationship with this essential liquid. The series begins with an overview of the many threats to the availability of fresh water. Later episodes examine the significance of water in human rituals such as the Japanese tea ceremony, the impact of individual consumption and industrial use on our water supply, and the prospects for creating a water-abundant world for future generations.

"Although British Columbia has the privilege of being a water rich province, the availability of fresh, clean water affects us all," says Sarah MacDonald, Knowledge Network's Director of Television Programming and New Media. "We hope that this landmark series inspires discussion of water issues in our community and our province, and helps viewers understand the important role that individuals can play in water conservation."

Water: The Drop of Life is generously sponsored by the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks. Detailed information about the series is available on Knowledge Network's web site at www.knowtv.com.

If you have a forthcoming educational seminar in your area, you can receive, on loan, a copy of a VHS tape of part of the series for viewing, by contacting Vilma Rosa at vrosa@bcwwa.org or tel. (604) 540-0111.

On Line BCWWA Calendar of Events

Are you interested in seeing what is happening in the water and wastewater industry in BC and abroad? Then visit the BCWWA website at www.bcwwa.org to view a timely 12 month calendar that includes details of BCWWA Committee meetings, training courses, seminars, conferences, workshops as well as AWWA, WEF, CWWA activities and the events of the many partner organizations involved in our industry. This new calendar also allows you to register on-line for BCWWA courses, seminars and conferences.

Free Registration at WEF Conference for University Students

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) Annual Conference and Exposition is slated for the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, October 13 - 17th. WEF will provide free registration to WEF Tec 2001 for university students! All you need is to show proof of student status and you can attend the technical sessions and visit the Exhibits hall. Visit WEF online at: www.wef.org for more details or call 203-684-2445.

Immune Compromised Should Take Precautions With Drinking Water

British Columbians with compromised immune systems should consider taking precautions with their drinking water, particularly in communities with surface water supplies, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall said following the North Battleford crisis.

The recent outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Saskatchewan prompted the reissuance of this health alert, which was first issued in 1996. Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic infection of the intestines. Symptoms may include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and mild fever. Symptoms may come and go and may last for several weeks in persons who are otherwise healthy. The infection can be transmitted between persons without symptoms and by those who have apparently recovered from the infection.

In 1996, two community-wide outbreaks of the illness in Kelowna and Cranbrook were attributed to contamination of municipal drinking water supplies. The last recorded water-borne outbreak was in Chilliwack in 1998.

Most communities in British Columbia are on surface water supply, including Greater Vancouver and the Capital Regional District.

People with weakened immune systems (for example, those with HIV infection or organ and bone marrow transplants and people receiving chemotherapy or medications that suppress the immune system) are at greater risk of prolonged illness or death from cryptosporidiosis. Reasonable precautions to reduce the risk of infection include ensuring their drinking water is either boiled, filtered or distilled. Persons who are unsure whether their immune system is compromised should discuss with a physician the need to take these precautions.

Although the risk of cryptosporidiosis from approved drinking water sources is small, current water treatment in most of British Columbia does not eliminate cryptosporidium. Drinking water obtained directly from rivers, creeks or lakes should be avoided.

The most straightforward method of ensuring safe drinking water is to boil the water for one minute. When bottled water is considered as an alternative, boiling, distilling, submicron filtration or ozonation methods should be employed in the manufacturer's production process to eliminate cryptosporidium.

People who opt for a personal use filter or bottled water should be aware of the complexities involved in selecting appropriate products, the varying effectiveness and the importance of using these products consistently. Filters providing the greatest certainty of parasite removal include those that produce water by reverse osmosis, those labeled as "Absolute" 1 micron or smaller, and those labeled as meeting ANSI/NSF International Standard #53 for cyst removal.

Cryptosporidiosis can also be spread from person to person and from animal to person. It is important to wash hands well after going to the toilet or changing diapers, prior to eating or preparing food and after touching farm animals or pets. This is particularly important for food handlers, said Kendall.

Cryptosporidiosis has occurred in day-care centres and long-term care facilities. Children with diarrhea should be excluded from day care until they no longer have symptoms. Symptomatic staff members of day-care centres and long-term care facilities should remain off work until diarrhea has stopped.

It is also possible to acquire cryptosporidiosis from contaminated swimming pools and beaches. Children in diapers and persons with diarrhea should refrain from using public swimming pools and beaches. Swimming pools in which fecal accidents occur should be closed until clean-up measures are completed.

In Memory of Ross Perrich

Ross Perrich of Terminal City Ironworks passed away on April 17, 2001. Ross was a member of AWWA and BCWWA since April 1989 and was very active in the Operator Education Committee with the Hydrates Training Course.

Our sincere condolences to his cherished wife of 45 years, Dorothy May and children Karen, Ralph, Scott, Colleen as well as his grandchildren.