Greater Vancouver boil-water advisory lifted

About a million people who have been under a boil-water advisory in Greater Vancouver for 12 days have finally been told it's safe to drinkfrom the taps.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District issued theadvisory on Nov. 16,following a major rainstorm that created unacceptable levels of silt in the Capilano and Seymour reservoirs on the North Shore.

It was lifted the following day for about a million residents of the Lower Mainland. However, the remaining million residents in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver and West Vancouver didn't get the all-clear until Monday.

Medical health officer Dr. Patricia Daly said turbidity levels in the Seymour watershed have dropped low enough to allow people to drink unboiled, unbottled water.

"With the continuing downward trends in turbidity, and with nearly 1,000 water tests for bacteriological results being negative, apart from one false positive,the medical health officers believe thatthe water is now safe for people to drink.

"So we're advising all our hospitals, our long-term care facilities, our day cares in schools that they no longer need to serve bottled water, and the public can resume drinking water from their taps."

Last week, one sample taken at the University of B.C. showed positive for E. coli, but it turned out to be a sampling problem and not a problem with contaminated water coming out of the tap.

The Capilano reservoir, which was closed off last week, is still too turbid to drink and remains closed.

The boil-water advisory had created a run on bottled water at stores across the Lower Mainland.

Daly advisespeople who have not been running their tapsto do so for three minutes to flush out anyresidual murky water in their pipes.

She alsowarns that the water coming out of the tapmay not be as clear as it could be.

"It may still be cloudy for a period of time as the clear water starts to come through the system, but we still believe it's safe to drink."