Boil water advisory issued for Yukon's Southern Lakes area

Residents affected by flooding in the Southern Lakes area of the Yukon are advised to boil their water, health officials said Wednesday.

Heavy rains earlier this week caused the already high water levels on the lakes togo even higher, exceeding 2004 levels and set to break 1981 record levels.

Forecasters anticipate more rain, prompting Yukon health officials to issue the boil water advisory, since the rising lake waters present potential for bacteria and viruses to enter groundwater wells.

"If their wellheads are flooded, and subject to the surface water and/or if the septic fields in the communities are under water, this presents a real threat, a real risk of contamination of the drinking water, with various organisms that can make you pretty sick in terms of vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, pains, etcetera," Dr. Bryce Larke, the Yukon's medical health officer,told CBC News on Wednesday.

"It's bad enough to have property damage, and your homes and personal property affected by flood waters. But we want to make sure there are no additional health problems added to the situation in these areas where the flooding is taking place."

The risk of contamination comes mainly from organisms in human feces, including viruses, bacteria and protozoa such as giardia, also known as beaver fever.

The boil water advisory applies to residents in Carcross, Tagish, Marsh Lake and the Lake Laberge areas, and willremain in place "until affected residents are sure that water is safe to drink," according to a department release.

Heat water to rolling boil, residents warned

The advisorywarns people not to use the lake water unless it is heated for at least two minutes in a rolling boil. Larke alsorecommended residents use alternate water sources such as bottled products, especially if they find their water looks or smellsunusual even after boiling.

The advisory applies to nearly all forms of water usage, including:

• Drinking.
• Cooking.
• Mixing juice.
• Washing raw foods.
• Making infant formula.
• Brushing teeth.
• Making ice cubes.

Health officials also reminded residents living along the Southern Lakes to keep an eye on their septic systems or water holding tanks, as they can be a dangerous source of contamination to local water supplies if they are flooded.

"After the flood waters have receded and the well is no longer affected directly by flood waters, they can come into Environmental Health [Services] or go into a local community health centre, and pick up a drinking water sample bottle and form," Environmental Health Officer Eric Bergsma said Wednesday.

"They can take a sample, deliver it to our lab at No. 2 Hospital Road [in Whitehorse], and we'll test that sample for free."

Larke said he had not received any reports of septic systems failing because of flooding, stressing that the advisory is onlya precautionary measure.

"I know that in 2004, when the flood waters were not as high as they are this year, we did have some flooding of septic fields, some concerns of contamination of the ground water, some people's wells [with] wellheads under water," he said.