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North Vancouver City to truck in water for slide

Chlorinated lake water to be used for sold-out event
Slide the city

After wading through questions about water shortages, bodily fluid and fecal contamination, the City of North Vancouver is confident that fun will prevail and the plan to bring in a 1,000-foot water slide in August will go ahead.

In the face of Stage 3 water restrictions, Mayor Darrell Mussatto is reassuring the public that no potable Metro Vancouver water will be used during the Slide the City event in Lower Lonsdale on Aug. 22, and that should Stage 4 restrictions be reached — the event will be cancelled.

“So, Slide the City is going ahead, and we will not be using any Metro Vancouver water,” said Mussatto.

The new plan is to truck in a couple water tankers worth of H20 to use on the slide from either Harrison Lake or Pitt Lake in the Fraser Valley — two of the largest lakes in the Lower Mainland — at a cost of between $5,000 to $6,000, to be borne by the organizers of the event.

Citing concerns the city was setting a bad example for water conservation, based on numerous emails from the public he received, Coun. Rod Clark brought forward a motion at the July 20 council meeting to discuss the issue.

Clark wanted to know why Nanaimo cancelled its Slide the City event this summer. Nanaimo council made the decision when that city reached Stage 2 watering restrictions and surrounding municipalities were at Stage 4.

Questions around sanitation relating to the water recirculation system being used for the slide were also raised at the meeting.

The B.C. Safety Authority checks that a water quality plan is in place as determined by an engineer and a health authority prior to the event. For Slide the City, a provincial health authority reviewed a proposed system and procedures designed by a professional engineer to ensure it meets their standards.

“The system includes testing of water quality at regular intervals and having procedures in place to deal with any contamination that may occur during the event,” said Kelly Moon, spokesperson for the B.C. Safety Authority.

PH levels in the chlorinated water on the slide will be tested every 15 minutes by a technician to ensure safety, said CNV spokesperson Connie Rabold.

The city is aiming for a free chlorine range of one to five parts per million with an ideal range of 2-4 ppm. For swimming pools, by comparison, Vancouver Coastal Health said it requires a minimum chlorination level of 0.5 to two parts per million depending on the type of pool.

Council unanimously agreed the sold-out Slide the City event will go ahead outside of any public health concerns from the health authority or Stage 4 water restrictions.

“There are 6,000 people who in good faith have paid for tickets, and certainly I think what we need to do is follow the good faith argument here which is if there is a public authority such as Metro Vancouver who refuses to issue a water permit … or the Vancouver Coastal Health authority who is not prepared to (sign off on it) — then I am prepared to see (Slide the City) go by the wayside,” said Coun. Craig Keating.