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Bruce Davidson talks about Walkerton, Ont. tragedy

Walkerton, Ont. resident and activist Bruce Davidson discussed the contaminated water tragedy of 2000 in Grand Forks.
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Walkerton

While news of a boil water advisory for part of Christina Lake and Bruce Davidson’s talk on the Walkerton water tragedy was a coincidence, it was fitting as well.

Davidson resides in Walkerton, Ont., the site of the May 2000 water contamination tragedy, and came to discuss the situation and tell his story on March 14 at Grand Forks Secondary School’s auditorium.

The event was sponsored by the Committee for the Enhancement of the Gilpin Grasslands and member Al Grant (from Rock Creek) opened the night talking about local water issues.

Walkerton’s water supply became contaminated with a deadly strain of the E. coli bacteria (O157:H7) and Davidson said there was a great deal of evidence, prior to the tragedy, to indicate that the water was contaminated, sadly however it was not revealed until after the residents had consumed it.

There was a breach 1.83 to 2.44 metres under the surface of Well No. 5, which supplied the contaminated water to residents.

The breach, the well’s close proximity to agricultural land, a rare heavy (100-year) rain fall event and poor management of the water system, including falsified water samples, led to seven deaths and a large number of Walkerton’s population suffering from severe, related ailments, including bloody diarrhea.

The breach allowed runoff with contaminants to enter the water. While the water looked like a snow squall initially, Davidson said that by the time the water reached peoples’ homes, it had settled out and there were nothing to tell the senses that the water was not only unfit to drink but could cause death as well.

An inquiry ensued in the aftermath and Walkerton has taken steps to ensure that the events of May 2000 never happen again, anywhere.

“What I would suggest came out of the Walkerton Inquiry, and it has been universally accepted, is that source protection, which basically means start with clean water and keep it clean, is the most efficient cost wise and the most efficient in any scale you can look at for protecting our drinking water,” said Davidson, adding that measures for treating water if it isn’t maintained in a healthy manner before it gets to a treatment plant is more expensive and there are cases where treatment has failed in that situation.

“You make sure things are happening as they should in that pump house, that the operators are well trained. In Walkerton now, we have the Walkerton Clean Water Centre, which trains water operators from around the province and is becoming internationally renowned, where they will certify, if they can’t come to us we have outrider programs and we go to them.”

Davidson also said there is a recertification process every four years that ensures that people understand what they are doing and understand the equipment.

“Then we look at the distribution system and we make sure that those folks are monitored and regulated so that inspectors that are skilled in the care and management of drinking water will meet with the operators of a plant and make sure that is being done and they’ll also connect with the source protection side and make sure that continuous chain of barriers to make sure out water is safe, is continued,” he said.

Davidson also spoke of the Nutrient Management Act, which deals with the application and storage of manure and handling of various chemicals and fertilizers.

“The idea in a nutshell is we don’t want to apply more manure or nutrients to the land than the land can absorb,” he said.



Karl Yu

About the Author: Karl Yu

After interning at Vancouver Metro free daily newspaper, I joined Black Press in 2010.
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