Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Jun 09/00) - Yellowknife health officials say residents shouldn't worry about the deadly strain of E. coli bacteria that has killed people in Walkerton, Ont., ever surfacing here.

"We're in good shape here in that all water supplies do receive disinfection by chlorination," said Duane Fleming, environment health consultant for the Department of Health and Social Services.

"Which, I think, is an important point because that's what wasn't working in Walkerton, the chlorinator wasn't working or (was) one of the things that went wrong."

Fleming's role with the department is to regularly consult with the regional field officers who do the actual water-sample testing.

The samples are taken from different areas in the city's water system and tested by the Stanton Regional Health Board.

"Everyone has E. coli in their intestines, in their guts ... there's one particular strain that happens to be quite harmful," Fleming said.

"It is that particular type of E. coli that causes disease, it's the E. coli 0157:H7," he said.

The E. coli 0157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the Escherichia coli bacteria.

While most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy people and animals, this particular strain produces a powerful toxin which can cause severe illness, and even death, according to Fleming.

"Because we don't have a large concentration of cattle, which is one of the main sources, we're in the clear," he said.

Another factor, Fleming adds, is that NWT communities have a good water source. In Yellowknife our water source is from "surface water," or running water, as opposed to deep-water wells.

"We have a pretty good water supply, our chlorine system is pretty reliable, there's back-up to the back-up," said Gary Craig, public works and engineering director for the city.

Fleming said regular testing is conducted on Yellowknife water.

"It's a more straightforward reporting and the lab would contact us immediately is there was a sample showing for coliform bacteria in the water," said Fleming.

Simply put, if the officers find the unwelcome bacteria strain, the board has the authority to call a boiling order, under the Public Health Act.

Brad Colpitts is the regional senior environmental health officer with the Stanton Regional Health Board.

"It may mean issuing a boil water order, at least temporarily," said Colpitts, adding, "If we find them, that's a huge red flag, we've got to take a look at the system, make sure that the disinfection is up to it's proper level."

The frequency of testing is also done according to federal legislation, Fleming added.

"The legislation is based on the Canadian guidelines for drinking water quality. Samples are being taken as required by the legislation on a regular basis and are being taken by the public health people."

Those samples are taken every week and "delivered to the hospital for analysis," said Colpitts.

"They're taken from various points throughout the system, so it's representative," he said.

Testing for mineral or chemical contamination is also done on a regular basis, most likely twice a year.

This is done at the Taiga Environmental Laboratory in Yellowknife, part of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

Water treatment

"Every system in the territory receives disinfection and all the systems are being monitored," said Fleming.

Other more expensive forms of water treatment are available, such as micro-filtration, ozone generator and ultraviolet light energy.

Yellowknife, however, like other NWT communities, uses chlorine.

"That's your disinfectant, that's what's added to make sure the bacteria are killed," said Colpitts.

The lack of chlorine in contaminated water could result in tragedy for certain age groups.

Such was the case in Walkerton.

"The victims, the folks who have died, they were very young and mostly very old in this case," Colpitts said.

"They're the ones with perhaps immune systems that aren't quite as strong as the average adult, so they're usually the ones that will suffer first," he said.

"That's just the normal course for disease and injury, no matter which way it's spread."