B.C.’s Auditor General says the government needs to do more to protect drinking water in B.C., particularly for more rural areas of the province.
In a new report, Auditor General Carol Bellringer says she has “grave concerns” about a lack of water protection strategies from government.
“We found that the Ministry of Health has not been as vigilant in protecting our drinking water as it has been in the past. While Health was meant to provide leadership and coordination, over time the ministry’s leadership has waned. We also found that many of the committees that were formed to facilitate the protection of drinking water have disbanded.”
Bellringer has made five recommendations to the Ministry of Health and three to the provincial health officer for ways to better protect people’s water.
“We found that Health and the PHO are not sufficiently protecting drinking water for British Columbians… Given the complexity of drinking water protection and the challenges faced by the Ministry of Health, it’s time for the government to clearly articulate roles and make sure ministries and agencies are held accountable,” Bellringer says.
“Some of them are going to take, if you will, years. In terms of a comprehensive strategic plan that is now fully rolled out. I’d say that you’ll see improvements, we already have through the course of this audit. But we’re talking about years before it would be fully implemented.”
Bellringer says a water-borne illness has not been reported in B.C. in 15 years but says any contamination would have serious impacts.
She says small water systems make up 90 per cent of the 4,800 known drinking water systems in the province – although those serve less than 10 per cent of B.C.’s population – and she says those smaller systems are at greatest risk of contamination, “where some communities may struggle to afford sufficient water protection systems and find staff who are qualified in water treatment.”
The report says climate change, industrial activity from a growing population in B.C. are the greatest risks to water systems. It did not include water systems on First Nations, Bellringer says, because they are not managed by the provincial government directly but rather the First Nations Health Authority.
