News Release - April 22, 2020

COVID-19 Update for Parksville Residents

Message from Parksville Mayor

It is heartwarming to see our residents coming together to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Thank you for doing your part to help flatten the curve; staying home and staying safe is working. We know people living in isolation are looking to interact with others and we hope our online platforms provide a connection for you. Although our offices are closed to the public, we are open for business and welcome questions you might have about City services. City staff are providing services to our residents while staying safe and following provincial orders.

There are many resources available to stay up-to-date on the latest preventive measures and COVID-19 information for residents and businesses. Most recently, the City of Parksville and the Town of Qualicum Beach through Emergency Management Oceanside, launched an enewsletter for our residents to provide additional information about the pandemic situation. Please consider signing up.

Our City will be very different this summer, much quieter without our many festivals and events; however, we are in this together and will get through it together. More than ever, we need our sense of community. Please support our businesses - by buying online locally, participating in "Takeout Thursdays" from our local restaurants and checking out the many other resources offered by our businesses such as online adventures with local attractions.

On behalf of Parksville Council, stay safe and stay well. We are proud of the way our community has come together to support each other and help slow the spread of this virus.

Protection of Our Water Supply

Protection and enhancement of the water supply is a priority for the City of Parksville and the Englishman River Water Service and is reflected in the mission statement, "An environmentally sensitive use of water to improve fish habitat and domestic water supply." To successfully accomplish this mission requires careful stewardship of both the surface water and groundwater sources. The ERWS water treatment plant supplies water to residents and businesses of the City of Parksville and the Nanoose Bay Peninsula Water Service Area.

The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, does not present a threat to the safety of the Englishman River Water Service treated water. The ERWS water treatment plant uses membrane filtration, ultra-violet light (UV) and chlorine disinfection. Benefits include reduced health risks and improved water quality. Membrane filtration removes bacteria and viruses naturally found in surface river water and the ability to deal with spikes in turbidity (muddy water). The plant employs a multi-step treatment process which includes filtration and disinfection to remove and kill viruses, including coronaviruses as well as bacteria and other pathogens.

The new water treatment plant which began testing in 2019, was commissioned in January 2020 and is well equipped to protect the integrity of the drinking water supply. Island Health issue operating permits to ERWS and we are in compliance with Island Health operating guidelines.

ERWS has many operating safeguards in place to protect the integrity of our water system:

• Emergency response plan for water treatment and water distribution systems.
• During the testing period, City of Parksville and Regional District of Nanaimo staff received extensive training and a Level 4 water treatment operator was hired to run the daily operations of the plant. In addition to the Level 4 operator, the plant employs one Level 3 water treatment operator as well as three Level 2 water treatment operators, all capable of providing coverage in an emergency.
• The City's mutual aid agreements include operational support for the water treatment plant from neighbouring governments in the event of an emergency. This could include sharing of skilled/certified staffing for plant operations.
• Arrangements have been made with other mid-Island local governments which would allow sharing of qualified staff should there be staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. CUPE 401 has agreed there would be no collective agreement barriers to facilitating this need should it arise.

For the assurance of our residents, the virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.

Thank You to Our Community Volunteers

We wish to thank volunteers for their many contributions to our community. Recognition is even more significant this year as we see how you are supporting essential services during this public health crisis and we recognize those who help by staying home to protect themselves and their community. Volunteers contribute to the well-being of Parksville and without your dedication, it would be impossible to sustain the services we all enjoy. We recognize the vital contribution volunteers make to our community and the impact this has on the quality of life in our community. Thank you!

City Operations

City services continue to operate and with offices closed to the public, contact us by phone or email. Our main phone number 250 248-6144 and email info@parksville.ca. Direct department contact info is posted on the City's website.

Sign Up for Emergency Management Oceanside Enews

Emergency Management Oceanside is a partnership between the City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach to provide emergency support and disaster service to residents of the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area. A new EMO Enews includes updates about COVID-19 as well as emergency preparedness info for the Oceanside region. Signup up at EmergencyOceanside.ca.

For more information:

Deb Tardiff, Manager of Communications

dtardiff@parksville.ca; 250 954-3073