The Rime of the Lower Mainlanders

"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink."

These days, the people in the lower mainland of British Columbia must feel some kinship with the Ancient Mariner from Coleridge's poem. Despite living in the wettest environment in Canada, nearly a million British Columbians remain under orders to use bottled water or to boil tap water. Worst of all, officials still do not know when they will lift the ban on drinking tap water.

The problem stems from the storms that ravaged the area recently. The Capilano and Seymour watersheds were hit hard by the storms, and the water is considerably murkier than normal. Although nobody has reported falling ill due to drinking the water and despite the fact that health officials have not found any evidence of bacteria in tap water, they are still concerned that drinking the water may lead to gastrointestinal illness. The ban, therefore, remains.

There is one piece of good news, though. Local coffee shops are back in business after having been temporarily shut down. If you know Vancouver, you'll understand what an important step this is on the road to normalcy.