Seymour Capilano Filtration Project (Vancouver, Canada)
In Vancouver, which ranks sixth among Canadian cities in average rainfall, you wouldn't think that getting a nice clear glass of water would be a problem. But winter storms dislodge clay and silt in the region's aquifer, and the suspended particles make the water unappetizingly cloudy. But turbidity occasionally is a health problem as well; in November 2006, officials had to warn residents to boil water before using it after heavy rainfall caused mud to contaminate local reservoirs, turning tap water a disgusting brown and raising the bacteria level. And with the Vancouver region's population growing rapidly, water threatens to become a bigger problem than ever. That's why the Greater Vancouver Water District (GVRD) is spending $500 million to dig a six-mile-long tunnel 680 feet under a mountain to link its Seymour and Capilano reservoirs and transport their water to the site of a new state-of-the-art water filtration plant, which will not only remove the sediment but also disinfect it with ultraviolet radiation. When the massive project is completed in 2008, it will be capable of producing 475 million gallons of crystal clear H2O each day. GVRD water quality manager Bob Jones has boasted that "the region will have the cleanest water in the world."