The British Columbia Drinking Water Protection Act establishes standards for source protection, water quality and system operations to provide safe drinking water.
The Regional District owns and certified staff operate two groundwater source drinking water supply systems, established as local service areas at Azu and Bear Lake. Residents and businesses within these local service area pay expenses required to construct and operate the water services.
The (Azouzetta) Azu Small Water System was established in 1984 for the Powder King Ski Village Water Service Area with water from three drilled wells with submersible pumps that draw from an aquifer, which receives recharge strictly from the surrounding watershed. The water is good quality with all measured parameters meeting the Canadian Drinking Water Standards and Northern Health requirements. The exceptions are the nuisance parameter iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) which produce a red scale accumulation inside the galvanized piping that can build up and block lines. To help prevent this, the lines are regularly flushed with HCl and NaOH without shutting down the system.
The Bear Lake Small Water System was established in 1978 and the water is sourced from two drilled wells that draw from an aquifer, which receives recharge strictly from the surrounding watershed. Each well has a submersible pump, which is controlled by a water level sensor housed in a steel water reservoir located at the highest point within the area. The reservoir distributes the water by gravity to 225 residents and several commercial developments within the townsite boundary. The water is good quality with all measured parameters much less than Canadian Drinking Water Standards. Nuisance parameter iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are 0.12 mg/1 and 0.001 mg/1 respectively. Sulfate (SO4) and sodium are 1 mg/1 and 3.8 mg/1 respectively. The hardness of the water is 99 mg/1. The low hardness, lack of nuisance parameters, and the fact that all the parameters tested are far below recommended standards, means no treatment is required.
To ensure a reliable water supply, the Azu Small Water System Emergency Response Plan and the Bear Lake Small Water System Emergency Response Plan have been developed based on the criteria of the BC Drinking Water Protection Act.
Conservation strategies for water and waste water systems are under development to ensure that water resources are managed and consumed in a sustainable manner.
Contact Us
Toll Free (BC): 1-800-667-1959
Phone: 250-960-4400
Email:
155 George Street
Prince George, BC V2L 1P8
