CBC News - Boiled over: Rural N.L. is plagued by unsafe drinking water. These residents are thirsty for a solution
In a recent featured article, CBC News explores the longstanding boil water advisories active in approximately 160 small communities across Newfoundland, and the impacts that they have on residents lives. The article paints a vivid picture of the importance of water in Canadian’s lives, and how difficult every aspect of life becomes without a safe and reliable source of water.
While C1W will not necessarily provide any specific guidance on water quality issues impacting rural communities across Canada, it will provide a clear picture of quantitative water supply. Furthermore, C1W will provide a data and modelling framework for further high resolution studies across Canada.
Click here to read the article on CBC News.
“[D]espite what the advisories suggest, residents in these outports tell CBC News the public water supply is often unreliable and unusable, even when it’s boiled.
Without [a safe] water system, residents of St. Bride’s, like in Branch, rely on each other for water. Strickland’s cousin installed an outdoor pipe on his property so his neighbours can access potable water any time of day or night.
Strickland says it’s not just money stopping some rural Newfoundlanders from digging their own wells. Sometimes the groundwater simply isn’t reachable from the surface.
According to data from the Department of Municipalities and Environment, 49,613 people were living under boil orders as of Aug. 24. Nearly one in 10 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can’t drink the water from their own taps.”