In recent years the issue of the “safe” drinking water has become increasingly important. Five years ago, Walkerton, Ontario made headlines news as the story broke of a small town where 200 people were sickened and 7 died when the town’s water supply became contaminated by Escherichia coli (E. coli). The E. coli disaster cost the town approximately $64.5 million with each household in the town of 5,000 spending about $4,000 to clean up and prevent further contamination.

More recently an outbreak occurred on the Kashechewan reserve, an isolated community located in northern Ontario. The small community has a sewage lagoon located less than 140 meters upstream from the reserve's water treatment plant. Tides from James Bay push dirty water back and forth across the intake pipe to the water treatment plant . The sewage entry into the treatment plant resulted in extremely high E. coli counts in the town water. The E. coli levels in the water required that the community try to combat the E. coli by over-chlorinating the water. The chlorine in the water reached “shock” levels making matters worse as the high chlorine resulted in people contracting burns and other skin lesions. The residents of the community required evacuation. Since then, the Canadian military has installed water purification systems that can supply up to 50,000 liters of clean water each day.

While their community life may be salvaged by moving farther from the sewage lagoon, the crisis facing those in Kashechewan is only too common among the First Nations people. About one-third (32.2%) of First Nations adults consider their household water unsafe to drink.

Escherichia coli(E. coli) is a fecal coliform bacterium commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans. The presence of E. coli in water is a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination. The waste can enter creeks, rivers, streams, lakes, and groundwater in various ways, including sewage overflows, polluted storm water runoff, and agricultural runoff. When these are used as sources of drinking water — and the water is not treated or inadequately treated — E. coli may end up in drinking water. E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium E. coli. Although most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness.

E. coli O157:H7 infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Usually little or no fever is present, and the illness resolves in 5 to 10 days. In some persons, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. About 2%-7% of infections lead to this complication.

On Friday September 16 th, 2005 Paramount Energy Trust held their annual golf tournament at Stewart Creek Golf Resort in Canmore Alberta. AGAT Laboratories was pleased to be invited to be a sponsor of the event by Sue Showers, Investor Relations and Communications Advisor for Paramount Energy Trust.

A hole-in-one prize package was set up on the third hole, a 160-yard hole with an elevated tee box surrounded by newly constructed homes. The potential prize for any participant able to drop their tee shot in the hole was $10,000.00.

At approximately 1:30 the foursome of Bonnie Jones, Gary Voakes, Maria Giancola and Brett Norris made their way to the third tee. After the first three made their tee shots, Mr. Norris, VP of New Ventures and Geoscience, stepped up to the box and sent a looping left to right shot that landed on the left side of the green. The ball bounced once, and rolled down into the cup. After the initial surprise and celebration subsided, the ball was checked and verified by the members of the foursome along with an AGAT Laboratories representative.