Prince Rupert boil water advisory continues indefinitely

The 12,000 residents of Prince Rupert are nearing the end of their third weekwithout clean drinking water and there's noend in sightfor the boil water advisory imposed on the north coast community.

In mid-December, water testsrevealed higherlevels ofcryptosporidiumandgiardia, parasites that cause gastrointestinal distress and fever.

The city continues to run tests, but it will need to see anumber of consecutive,clear results before it can lift the advisory.

• Prince Rupert under boil water notice; city says it could last over a week

City spokesperson VeronikaStewart saidit's an inconvenience to havetoboil her drinking water, but it could be worse.

"You know, it takes up a couple of extra minutes every day,but I know there are other communities who've had these kinds of things in effect for way longer," she said.

"I feel privileged and lucky that we haven't had this happen in over 10years."

Stewart saidthe contamination is the result of a series of circumstances including a dry summer and a large storm surge last month.

Prince Rupert's water is tested twice a year forcryptosporidiumandgiardia.

No treatment available

The city says there are no treatment options available to to remove cryptosporidiumfrom the public water.

"Therefore, there is currently no way to prevent or manage the issue other than to wait for the water to clear itself,"a city news releasesaid.

Northern Health Authority spokesperson ErynCollins saysthere are no confirmed cases of residents catching cryptosporidiumorgiardiafrom the city's water system.