Boil order brews up trouble for coffee shops in Saint John

Saint Johners looking to grab a javaduring the boil water order, take heed,your favourite coffee shop's brew may not be deemed safe.

The boil order applies to all homes and businesses east of the Reversing Falls bridgecoffee shops included,says Douglas Walker, regional director of the province'shealth protection branch for the south district.

That means allbusinesses in the affected area that serve brewed coffee should be either usingboiled water, bottled water, or contacting the department to ensure their brewing machines get hotenough and for long enough tobe safe for use with city water, said Walker.

Any special systems purported to be able to safely treat the water, such as UV lights or filters, also need to be pre-approved by health officials, he said. In addition, they are required to have bacteria testing done by an accredited lab.

They have a responsibility as an operatorto make sure that what they're serving to the public is safe. And if we find out that they're not doing that, then we'll follow through with it and there could be consequences.- Douglas Walker, health protection branch

Since the boil order was issued on Monday, the department has heard only from Tim Hortons, Starbucks and Second Cup, whose brewing machines have been approved, Walker said on Wednesday.

He estimates there are between 300 and 400 establishments that serve coffee in the city.

"They have a responsibility as an operatorto make sure that what they're serving to the public is safe. And if we find out that they're not doing that, then we'll follow through with it and there could be consequences," said Walker.

"Anyone that could potentially drink untreated water could become ill with, it could be eithera viral infection, it couldbea parasitic infection, or itcouldbe a bacteriologicalinfection,so it's really serious," he stressed.

"It's why we issue boil water advisories to protect the consumers from any potential health risks from drinking water that may be of unacceptable microbiology quality."

UV treatment may require closer look

There are only seven public health inspectors in the city, but if the department is flooded with reports from citizens of non-compliance, it could call in three additional inspectors from its sub-officesand even ask for assistance from neighbouring regions, said Walker.

The boil order, issuedafter a power outage caused a failure in the chlorination system,is expected to remain in place until at least Friday.

Approximately 45,000 users are affected, or about 60 per cent of the customer base.

Citizens are advised to bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before consumption. The boiling point of water is 100 C.

Most standard industrial coffee brewing machines usually only reach between 90 C and 96 C,but they can still meet the so-calledpasteurizationcurve requirements if the water is kept hot enough for a long enough period of time, said Walker.

But operators still must contact the department andprovide information about their brewing machines for review. If approved, they must also keep a temperature log every two hours throughout the boil order, he said.

And whileUV treatment systems are considered an acceptable means to treat large regulated drinking water systems, that's not always the case with individual operators, said Walker.

"We may decide in order for them to use those units that they either have to be more stringent on how they maintain them and how they do sampling on those units to ensure that they're working properly," he said.

Anybusinesses found using brewers without pre-approvalcould be ordered to cease immediately. If they fail to comply, could have their operating licence suspended or revoked.

Unlike some other jurisdictions, New Brunswick does not currently have any fines. "It's something that we'vedefinitely had discussions about, but I don't see that happening anytime in the near future,"said Walker.