DOUGLAS LUDWIG /COURTESY TOURISM UCLUELET
A First Nation on Vancouver Island has banned the use of water for everything except flushing toilets and declared a state of emergency after a barge severed a water supply line. The District of Ucluelet claimed the underwater line in the inlet between Ucluelet, Canada, and Hitacu, British Columbia, was damaged on January 17, 2022, leaving the community without water for showers, drinking, cooking, or fire suppression.
Ucluelet First Nation stated that water was being transported to roughly 275 residents while trucks have been filing up the town's water towers for a backup supply. The state of emergency cannot be lifted until the system has been flushed, the water has been tested, and the tests are reporting that the water is potable.