Turbidity levels in Metro Vancouver’s watersheds currently pose no risk to the drinking-water supply, according to a spokesperson for the regional body.

“We are always concerned, but as yet we don’t have any turbidity problems in either of the three watersheds,” Glenn Bohn told the Georgia Straight by phone today (January 7). “We are constantly checking the quality of our water. We do about 25,000 samples of water in the region every year. As of yesterday, the turbidity levels of all three watersheds were well below what would be considered to be turbid or cloudy water.”

The Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam watersheds are all below one nephelometric turbidity units, Bohn added, referring to an industry-wide unit of measurement for turbidity.

But with heavy rains following the recent heavy snowfall in the region, Will Koop, coordinator of the B.C. Tap Water Alliance, told the Straight there is still cause for concern.

“These are called rain-on-snow events,” Koop said. “In the past, I think there have been a number of serious events, in the 1990s in particular, and I think in the 1980s as well. Because of the heavy snow load and because of the quick conversion to the warmth, these are going to be big concerns. It still is a concern now, as we still don’t have a filtration plant.”

Metro Vancouver’s water filtration plant in North Vancouver was scheduled to come on stream last year but hasn’t begun operating.

Vision Vancouver councillor Tim Stevenson, the 2008 chair of the Metro water committee, has said that the plant will improve the quality of the region’s drinking water.

Stevenson delivers a recorded statement in support of the drinking-water supply on the Metro Web site.

“We do have the very best, the very purest, water you can drink,” Stevenson notes in his on-line address. “And we are constantly testing to make sure that’s the case. We are fortunate to have the finest drinking water in the world right here in Metro Vancouver, and with the new filtration system it will be even better, because we will have no turbidity at all in our water.”