12/02/2025
A boil water advisory has been posted for the area of City of Duncan - Local Government and Cowichan Tribes due to a sewage leak.
UPDATE:
Earlier today, the City of Duncan updated the boil water advisory to parts of the North Cowichan municipality. This is because many of the urban properties in North Cowichan are on the Duncan water utility service. As they draw their water from Duncan, thay system is now entirely affected until tested otherwise.
Please ensure that you check your utility bill to confirm if you are using Duncan water.
While this advisory is precautionary, all residents are urged to boil water for at least 1 minute before drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, preparing infant formula, or washing fruits and vegetables.
It’s important to understand that while systems like LifeStraw or HydraPak filters are highly effective for particulates and many contaminants, sewage-affected water can contain viruses such as Hepatitis A and Norovirus, which require heat treatment to neutralize.
Recommended Two-Stage Water Safety Method
Step 1 – Mechanical Filtration
Use a medium-flow mechanical filter to remove sediment and pathogens. Systems such as a RapidPure 9L Gravity Filter or a HydraPak inline filter offer adaptable, high-efficiency filtration comparable to full in-house filter systems.
Step 2 – Heat Treatment (Boiling)
After filtering, bring the water to a rolling boil for at least 1 full minute. Allow it to cool and store it only in clean, dry, food-safe containers.
This two-stage approach provides the most reliable protection when dealing with water potentially contaminated by sewage.
Stay safe, stay informed. If you need assistance selecting filtration or purification equipment, we’re here to help.
