Feb 16, 2017 - A Water Quality Advisory is used in situations where there is some level of risk associated with water us
For Immediate Release | February 16, 2017
Thompson River water quality update Interior Health is downgrading a health alert issued after a railway coal spill into the Thompson River near Ashcroft on Jan. 12, 2017. Effective Feb. 16, a Do Not Consume order in place since the spill occurred is replaced with a Water Quality Advisory. Test results of sampling from coal collected at the spill site showed no detectable levels of seven chemical constituents used in processing of the metallurgical coal. A Water Quality Advisory is used in situations where there is some level of risk associated with water use but circumstances no longer warrant a Do Not Use Water Notice. This means that the risk from consuming the water on a short-term basis is comparable to other surface water sources, yet Interior Health is unable to determine long-term health effects. It should be noted that boiling this water will not remove or reduce the risk. Using an alternative water source is therefore recommended. As with the previous notification, the Water Quality Advisory applies to Thompson River water over a distance extending from the spill site, seven km south of Ashcroft, to the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser rivers at Lytton, 70 km south. This Water Quality Advisory will remain in effect until environmental cleaning efforts are completed. This requires either safe removal of all the spilled coal from the incident site or a determination that the remaining coal at the spill site poses no risk. -30-
