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January 10, 2000
(Environment and Labour)

 

Minister releases results of THMs testing for community water supplies

Oliver Langdon, Minister of Environment and Labour, today released the names of communities that have had THMs (trihalomethanes) sampling and testing data completed on their water supplies. THMs are chemical compounds formed when water containing natural organic matter is chlorinated.

During the last fall session of the House of Assembly, Minister Langdon stated that he would release the names of the communities that have had sampling done and the data for each community after contact was made with those municipalities, as was required under the Freedom of Information Act.

In releasing the information today, Minister Langdon stated that municipalities should continue to disinfect their water supplies and this was confirmed by Dr. Don Wigle of Health Canada who accompanied the minster at the news conference.

Dr. Wigle stated: "People should not be alarmed about this matter, and should continue to drink water disinfected by chlorine or others means. The benefits of disinfecting our drinking water far outweigh the risks of health effects from THMs." Dr. Wigle is the chairperson of the National Chlorinated Disinfection By-Products (CDPB) Task Group which was established by the Federal-Provincial Subcommittee on Drinking Water.

The minister emphasized that the data being presented represents the status of the data base at a particular point in time and people should be cautious about drawing conclusions.

"Recent data indicates that there are 63 communities that have THMs levels above the national guideline and this covers 68 public water systems," said Langdon. "This recent data includes samples taken in the summer and fall when the THMs levels tend to be highest."

The Canadian Drinking Water Quality guideline for THMs was reduced in 1993 from 350 parts per billion to 100 parts per billion. In so doing, the guidelines did not specify that water systems should comply with the guideline immediately, but that compliance can be achieved over time when water systems are expanded or upgraded.

Government is continuing to address THMs in this province. The Department of Environment and Labour is working closely with the departments of Health and Community Services, Municipal and Provincial Affairs, and Health Canada, as well as individual municipalities on ways in which they might reduce their THMs levels, as low as possible. This could include keeping source water clean, removing any organic materials in water supplies through filtration or other water treatment options, or adjusting the levels of chlorine being put into water supplies.

In this regard, Minister Langdon announced that his department will recruit a full-time professional staff person to work closely with municipalities on an operational level to address THMs in community water supplies. The minister added that government will continue to work closely with the Federation of Municipalities to disseminate information on THMs and provide training sessions for systems operators.

In the meantime, government said it is important that municipalities continue to participate in the monitoring program, because an enhanced database will help determine the extent of the problem, and assist in identifying solutions. The Canadian Drinking Water Guideline for THMs is based on an annual average of quarterly samples.

"To compare THM levels in the communities with the guideline, we want to have at least one sample taken for each of the four seasons," said the minister. "We do not yet have seasonal data for many communities and therefore it is necessary to continue monitoring in order to get a more representative picture of what the average THMs levels are for a particular water supply."

Both the departments of Environment and Labour and Health and Community Services have prepared brochures on THMs in consultation with Health Canada and this material is being distributed to all municipalities along with Health Canada�s most recent information on THMs. The brochures will be sent to municipalities, regional offices of the Departments of Health and Community Services, Environment and Labour, and Municipal and Provincial Affairs. The brochures will also be available through the government web site (www.gov.nl.ca).

High THMs are a national problem and not one isolated to this province. The minister stated that efforts are under way at a national level to address the problem of THMs and Newfoundland and Labrador is very active in that process.

Media contact: Sean Kelly, Director of Communications, (709) 729-2575.

2000 01 10                                                     2:20 p.m.


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