Marcie Good
Contributi, ag Writer

ULTRAVIOLET treatment of water
may be a better technology than
ozonation, according to Greater
Vancouver Water District (GVWD)
commissioner Johnny Cariine.

_ Bur in a letter written te North Vancouver
District council, he explained that it is still
unproven on the scale that is necessary at the
Capilano ozonation plant. .

On June 16, council sent a letter to the
GVWD asking for a moratorium on the con-
struction of the Capilano ozonation plant. The
motion, tabled by Coun. Doug MacKay-
Dunn, requested further information on other
methods of treatment, such as ultraviolet rays.

While the issue generated “considerable dis-

cussen” at the water committee mecting,
Carling responded that ultraviolet treatment ts
not a practical alternative.

“UV technology may have an application in
future plaot upgrades or plant: expansion.
However, itis currently an emerging technolo-
gy for giardia and cryptosporidium disintee-
tion, Tt will require several years of develop-
ment and testing before it could be considered
as an implementable alternative to the chosen
treatment approach.” Carling estimated that if
development of UV technology continues, it
would take at least five vears of testing before it
could be used at Capilano. The $87-million
plant, which is scheduled to begin construction
in August 2000, would need to be redesigned.

A further delay in building the treatment

— Water commissioner responds to NVD

facility he wrote, would mean disinfection
would continue to fall below standards. It
would abo escalate construction and equip:
ment costs and Keep residents in the dark about
regional water plans.

Countries throughout the world have
recently shown increasing iaterest in UV treat-
ment. Currently there is no large drinking
water sources that incorporate it as primary dis-
infection.

Most of the interest in UV involves smaller
systems treating low turbidity groundwater and
filtered systems. The Capilano system, howev-
es, is unfiltered and is operated at high turbid-
ity levels. Research experts have expressed con-
cern about the effectiveness of UV in those cir-
cumstances.

Ozone, Carline explained. has been
approved asa viable disinfection technology
even in high turbidity. But if CV treatment
were improved for unfiltered systems like
Capilano, it might provide the follewing
advantages:

@ lower capital and operating, costs;

B simpler operating system and lower mainte-
nance;

B smaller building.

Carline also pointed out disadvantages that
may result from using UV over ozonation.
Those include:
current mercury lamp technology is a poten-
tia] water contaminant in the event of 2 rup-
ture;

@ GV is not recommended as a single treat-
ment barrier, therefore requiring filtration
and/or ozonation;

B difficulty in measuring performance.

2,700 still on
| surgery wait
| list in region

From page 1.

expected: to announce the region’s funding levels until
September or October. “We need to find a financial resolve to
this with the ministry, but... we're facing a six-month delay in
even getting this year’s fiscal budgeting information,” Spitz
added.

Meanwhile, the board has approached the ministry for relief

from last year’s deficit. While there has been no guarantee,
communications from the government have been mildly
encouraging. “The ministry has said to us, ‘Do not cut services,
operate at the same level you ended last fiscal year at and then
we'll give you your funding,” Spitz said. “So that’s what we're
doing. It’s under the ministry’s instructions.”

With the re-opening of 20 surgical beds in January and a
decision to contract out cataract surgeries to the Northmount
clinic, the region has slashed the surgical wait list down by 21%.
While there are still an estimated 2,700 people on the list for
urgent surgery, the waiting time is now only 32 days.

The region announced six strategic goals for the year 2000-
2001:
44° Mincreased integration and coordination of health services;

@ improved access to services;

B increased health promotion and early intervention for chil-
’ dren;

B increased community-based alternatives for seniors;
““@ increased recruitment of health professionals;

M improved health-care for poorer and marginalized residents.
Recent initiatives taken by the region include: the renova-
tion of the day surgery unit at Lions Gate Hospital (LGH),; the
release of a community health profile; the development of a
mental health wansition unit to assist discharged patients with
on-going psychiatric illnesses; and plans to establish: regional
accreditation for care standards by September 2000.

More than 60 registered nurses have been recruited this
year, but there’s room for another 72. Yesterday, 24 nursing
students started work for the summer at LGH. NSHR
spokesman Clay Adams said the students are set to graduate in
December. after the fall school term. They were hired to
improve staffing levels for summer vacations and alleviate
chronic nurses shortages. The nursing students will work as
nursing assistants supervised by registered nurses.

Meanwhile the board insists the shortage of nurses is not
duc to financial restraint and will actively recruit on its fururc
Web site. Still; bed closures, duc to the shortfall of staff are
expected for the summer.

Another area of concern for the region is the lack of special-
ists per capita, particularly for car, nose and throat physicians.
The region is trying to address the problem. There is also a
number of funding concerns to support dialysis, a child-care
centre, renovations, increased home support for seniors and
youth violence prevention. . ; .

“The message is we just have a terrific medical, administra-
tive and health-care group, that are all pulling like crazy to opti-
mize the system we've got, with the resources we've got,” Spitz
said. He said the region’s workers have to be prepared to con-
tinue to work under very tight constraints.

“In some of the issues,” he said, “you can take an approach
and say, ‘Enough is cnough. We're across nwo bridges to

Vancouver, let’s scale down and become a tiny little cottage
community. Ler’s give up everything, ler’s give up neuro-
surgery, let’s give up cardio-vascular, let’s give up all our pro-
grams.” Buc the fact of the matter is, those services are being
tested to the maximum across the bridges. So we're providing

“very valuable and important services.”

The preliminary budget 2000-2001 outlines where the
money will go: seniors $56.8 million, community and popuia-
“tion health $21.8 million; maternal-child and youth $6.9 mil-

surgery $24.4 million; medicine $21.8 million, diagnostic
s $15.5 million; corporate and support services $44.9
million; mental health $10 million, pharmacy $10 million.

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

MARGARET MacKenzie, wife cf Ocean Biosource Inc. executive Ron MacKenzie, christens one of two new
barges which house processing plants. The plants convert fisheries by-procucts into fish hydrolysates.

Fishery plants launche

West Vancouver technology
reduces seafood waste

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
dlancaster@nsnews.com

AS most people know, caviar is fish eggs, or roe.

But what people may not know, is what happens to the rest

of the fish after the roe is harvested — at least part of it gets
tossed in the waste bin. In fact, between 30 and 60% of all
seafood harvested is cither discarded as by-catch or processed
inefficiently.

A new West Vancouver-based company has a solution.

Ocean Biosource Inc. (OBI) is using biological processes to
convert fresh seafood processing by-products — such as the fish
left after its roe is harvested — and by-catch into fish
hydrolysates (a mixture produced by hydrolysis) for aqua-feed
and animal feed ingredients, fish fertilizers and more.

Last week, in partnership with the Washington Marine
Group (WMG) and Cossack Caviar, the company Jaunched a
new northern B.C. and Alaska project by christening two new

processing plants at Vancouver Drydock.

The project will see 400 tonnes of fresh fishery by-products:
processed every day with bio-processing technology which uses”
natural enzymes to do the converting. /

One 206¢-tonne per day plant, housed aboard the barge OBI :
No. 2 will operate in Prince Rupert by the end of July 2000.
The. Alaskan Venturer, another 200-tonne per day mounted
floating processor barge, operated by Cossack Caviar in south-
east Alaska, will commence operations around the same time.
Products from the Alaskan. Venturer will be transported to
Prince Rupert for further bio-pracessing inro fish hydrolysates.
Seaspan International Ltd,, a member of the WMG, will provide
towing services for raw materials and products throughout
Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

“This project, using technology developed in B.C. by
Biozyme Systems Inc., allows the bio-processing and full uti-
lization of fishery products at fishing locations along the coast
of B.C. and Alaska,” said Gary Ternus, OBIs president, in a°
press release. “There are growing markets for these products in - |
Asia, the U.S. and around the world. This project brings OBI
into rapidly growing market opportunities worldwide.” He said
the launch reflects an investment of $8 million by the group and
will create more than 40 jobs in the initial years. The company
wants to use the technology in Alaska, B.C., Washington Strate,
the east coast of North America, Europe and South America.

Lions Bay water back on tap after testing

LIONS Bay water has been
cleared for drinking.

As of Friday afternoon, residents were
advised that they no longer had to boil
drinking water. 7

On June 24, North Shore Heaith
Region (NSHR) revealed results that one
of five drinking water samples taken in
the community grew coliform bacteria. A

boil-drinking-water advisory was issued.
Lions Bay draws its drinking water -
from Harvey and Magnesia crecks
Bay water is chlorinated. Chlorine
pose to kill coliforms. Coliform bacteria is
found in sewage and animal waste.
There were no reports of any of the
1,500 Lions Bay residents becoming ill
because of the water. After the positive

coliform result, Lions Bay drinking water
was tested daily rather than. the usual
weekly analysis. a ‘
NSHR did nor find another positive
coliform: result during testing last week.
The cause of the positive coliform sample
is unlikely to be known, according to
_NSHR officials. :
—Auna Marie D'Angelo

Lions
sup-