The Water & Sewerage Corporation’s response to the Tribune article dated February 1, 2011 by Bradley Roberts.
The Corporation confirms that the water supplied in Grand Cay is safe for consumption and satisfies both World Health Organization and UK guidelines for chemical, physical, and biological parameters.
This water is not only subject to desalination by reverse osmosis, but also disinfection to remove harmful pathogens. The Corporation regularly tests its supplies both in the field and in the lab, and uses trained personnel to collect its sample.
Water quality testing has to follow a strict procedure. Poor procedures can lead to incorrect results which can easily be abused by the ignorant, and lead to irresponsible, widespread misinformation and even panic.
It is therefore incumbent on professionals that test and publish such results to be more responsible and diligent. Whenever samples are obtained for bacteriological testing, sterilized containers must be used, and other sterilization techniques carried out by the trained person prior to obtaining the sample. Samples that will take an extended time to reach lab facilities must be stored properly.
Most importantly, there must also be a clear chain of custody for samples to confirm that these standard methods and guidelines have been followed. Since no reference was given regarding the person who obtained the sample or the conditions under which it was obtained and transported, there is no indication as to whether proper procedure was followed. Based on reports that this sample was in an unsterilized plastic container, it is not surprising that it would lead to erroneous results such as the one published.
Though it is recognized that Chela-Tech Laboratory is an established facility, it is very unfortunate that such results would be given with no comment or disclaimer as to the conditions under which the sample was obtained/received and the limited conclusions that could be drawn from the result.
Chela should have also included a statement that they could not verify that the correct sampling procedures were used to obtain the sample they tested, and that they could not comment on the source of the supply.
Unfortunately, this failure has allowed their results to be abused and used as misinformation. As professionals in the sector, the Corporation never accepts samples brought in off the street.
When persons request tests, WSC staff is dispatched to collect the samples to guarantee that proper procedure is followed and that the results have some integrity. We would recommend that others follow this procedure or provide disclaimers as suggested previously. WSC reiterates that the water supply in Grand Cay meets all relevant standards and guidelines used by WSC throughout The Bahamas and that it is safe for human consumption and use.
