14 - Wednesday, October 21, 1982 — North Shore News Beware Highway 99’s fountain of youth | Health, traffic safety concerns raised over mysterious Squamish water source SEVEN MINUTES up the coast from Horseshoe Bay on the Sea-to-Sky Squamish Highway, just past Turpin Creek, is a place where dozens of Vancouverites stop daily to fill containers with water that flows from a pipe jutting out of a rock wall. Is this the fountain of youth? Probably not. No one seems to know how the water pipe came to be, though the provincial highways department claims that people have been Stopping at the site for over 15 years. But the number of people stop- ping and the number of cars on the road have both skyrocketed over the past decade. To many who regularly drive the highway, the watering hole is viewed as a hazard. It is located immediately after a curve at a widening of the highway where cars are often speeding in both di- rections to pass other cars. “We certainly feel it is an un- safe environment,”’ said Squamish RCMP Set. Rod Derouin. “Fve often seen three or four vehicles stopped there at one time.” Because the vehicles are parked on the highway’s shoulder and are not obstructing traffic, the police cannot issue fines. Menno Martens, district techni- cian for the Ministry of Transpor- tation and Highways in Narth Vancouver, said the highway shoulder near the water pipe is wide enough to alitow vehicles to get off the road so it hasn’t been considered a problem. “One of our main concerns is safety,’’ Martens said, ‘‘tand we will certainly take the police seriously if they identify this area as potentially hazardous.”’ On the evening of Sept. 5, 1992, an It-year-old attempting to cross the highway while members of the family were filling jugs of water was struck by a car. The child survived the accident, but was seriously injured. It was By Mylene Pilutik Contributing Writer the first accident at the location. The Squamish RCMP subse- quently requested that the high- ways department create a biockade to limit accessibility and prevent people from parking their vehicles in the area. So far, there have been no col- lisions with oncoming traffic or with stopped vehicles at this point. But the Squamish RCMP who patrol the area say the lack of col- lisions is a stroke of good luck. Sgt. Derouin anticipates that there will be more and more acci- dents at that location. ‘*As long as people are going to get the water, there is going to be a potential for accidents there." Another safety concern is that the consumption of the untreated water from the pipe can cause serious illness. Said Bill Kimmett, director of Environmental Health at North Shore Health, ‘‘The water is merely rain water and run-off from a stream that percolates through the cracks in the rock wall. It is subject to bacterial col- iform just like any stream or lake.’’ North Shore Health itself has never tested the water. Kimmett said that with an uncontrolled source the readings can vary daily. “We simply da not. condone drinking untreated surface water,’’ Kimmeti said. Even in pristine wilderness loca- tions water contamination is still a potential problem. An independent test of the water was submitted to ASL Lid., Peps / COLLECTOR SERIES Lill with purchase of Large sofi drink ee S At all participating Burger King locations SR ATERRRR RAD CORAe ee bP bat Flaws Broiled Cee * Buya Flame Broiled Double Cheeseburger at the re t Recond Flame Broiled Double Cheeseburger FREE! . & Please present this coupon betore ordenng. Not ME vale with any cther offer. Mo cash vatue cable tares by bearer. Valid only at ; Z fares Bu rae ange Restauranis. s EXPRY DATE: Novontoes @, 10R2 GR fectas wi OF aC DE BURGER KING CORPORATION ® 1982 gpa Appicabic GH Participating Burger $2 pony DATE: Nowerrder 8, 1902 Hi R Abe i Flame. Broiled z wu a Ceres * Buy a Flame Broiled jouble Cheeseburger at the regular ’ S and get a 3 eecon Flame ’ a Broiled Double Cheeseburger § iF “REE! Nease present this coupon belare ordering. Not : valid with any othe atier. No cash value. taxes pi ay bearer. Vahd only at org Restaurants. Fnaits whit ore GE BURGER KiNG CORPORATION © 1932 Bugassaeoceneeeooneee ¥ eORmeanecueRsencoessee a Vancouver company specializing in water and soil testing for private, corporate and gavernment organizations. Three samples were taken over three months. All of the samples showed the presence of coliform. ranging from 30 to 80 colonies per 100 mL of water. One test indicated the presence of fecal caliform. Without the coliform, the water would meet all federal require- ments for drinking water. According to Health and Welfare Canada ‘‘no consecutive samples from the same site should show the presence of coliform or- ganisms.°” The maximum acceptable con- centration of total coliform in drinking water is no more than 10 total coliform organisms per 100 ml, none of which should be fecal coliform. Fecal coliform, according to Kimmett, ‘‘are indicator organ- isms that come from animal or husnan excrement.”’ When fecal coliform is present, it is highly probable that parasites such as salmonella and giardia green leaf lettuce or red, Calitomia grown your cheace (weaver fever) are present. Beaver fever symptoms include gastro-intestinal problems such as stomach aches, bloating, diarrhea and nausea. Small children and the elderly are at greatest risk and may expe- rience more extreme effects because their systems are more fragile. People exhibiting such symp- toms should consult their family physician immediately. When informed that the water was unfit for drinking, one woman quickly responded, ‘‘I just use it to wash my hair.” Several other consumers admit- ted to having experienced stomach problems, but hadn’t linked it to the water. They dumped their water im- mediately upon learning that it could cause illness. “It really concerns me that people stop on that part of the highway," said Kimmett. ‘1 think there should be some prohibition instigated by either the department of highways or the RCMP to prohibit people from stopping ” : But Kimmett said that a warn- ing sign at the water pipe would not be approprate. “If we start putting up signs here and there, peopie will just assume that where there are no signs the water is safe to drink,’’ he said. ‘‘We’d have to litter every single creek with signs.** Instead, North Shore Health suggests that people should stick to tap water and bottied water. To make untreated water safe to drink, it should be boiled for a minimum of 10 minutes at a roll- ing boil to kill any bacteria. Treated water supplies are tested weekly, and chlorine is ad- ded to kill bacteria. For those who dislike the chlo- rine taste, North Shore Health suggests keeping a jug of tap water in the fridge. Because chlorine dissipates with time, the water will taste better in a matter of hours. Another suggestion to improve the taste of tap water is to aerate it by transferring it back and forth a few times from one container to another. outside round roast * boneless © Govt. inspected © 2-3 roasts per pkg. SuperValu™ _enriched bread _ 60% whole wheat or white. 570 5 8 a3 a4 Prices in effect Oct. 19- 25/92 AREER RNS AN A 8 ELLA OC nba RL NNN ED a Park Royal, South West ‘Vancouver 906-2215 Edgemont . Village 3230 Connaught Cres. 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