VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA — A health official here who oversees the 2003 Drinking Water Protection Act says that drinking water rates in this Canadian province should reflect the true costs associated with treating, distributing and monitoring water, according to a March 6 CanWest News Service article.
At a press conference releasing his report, "Progress on the Action Plan for Safe Drinking Water in BC," provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said that BC residents treat water as a free good.
"It comes out of the tap and it's there like air or dirt," he is quoted as saying in the article. "I think we should charge more and I think, in the end, we have to. We're profligate water users because we think it's free. Do you know how much it costs to put in a decent water treatment system so you can guarantee you've got water?"
The chief medical officer for the Vancouver Island Health Authority concurred, saying that he believes rates for drinking water should be raised to ensure water safety.
The article reports that homes in the province's Western Communities pay 1.2 cents (Canadian) for 10 litres (2.6 gallons) of water.
According to the article, Kendall recommends investments on the infrastructure level that include use of ultraviolet disinfection, appropriate and timely access to laboratory testing, and improvements in small water systems.
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