TORONTO, May 12, 2009 — As part of the RBC Blue Water Project, RBC today announced its support for the launch of Imagine H₂0, a new innovation challenge, with $50,000 USD in prizes for business plans promising the greatest breakthroughs in the efficient use of water.

The annual Imagine H₂0 Prize will encourage the competitive and ambitious spirits of entrepreneurs, investors, experts, inventors and academics around the world to focus their energies on water issues.

While the cash prize will incent participation, it's only the beginning. "What sets this prize apart is our Incubator Program and 'ecosystem' for water leaders," said Tamin Pechet, Imagine H₂0's Chairman and Executive Director, who co-founded the organization at Harvard Business School in 2007. "The winners will also receive thousands of dollars in business and legal support and access to a network of partners, customers and financiers to help bring their ideas to market so they can make a real difference."

"RBC is proud to be a founding sponsor of this important competition," said Gordon Nixon, President and CEO of RBC, Canada's largest bank and one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies. "Water is the problem of the ages, and clearly, there is a role for business in offering innovative solutions to the challenge of improving the efficiency of water usage."

The competition's inaugural prize will focus on water efficiency in agriculture, commercial, industrial or residential applications, such as water demand reduction, improved water use, water recycling and/or reuse. Future years' competitions will have different prize topics addressing other critical water problems.

The global competition is open to anyone, and entries will be accepted starting in September 2009. Winners will be announced in early 2010.

Two-thirds of the world's people may be living in water-stressed conditions by 2025, according to the UN Environment Program. "Few realize the severity and escalation of water problems in the developed world as well as in developing countries," said Pechet.

The RBC Blue Water Project is a 10-year commitment to help foster a culture of water stewardship worldwide. RBC supports charitable organizations that protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water through a $50-million grant program. RBC also promotes responsible water use with its employees and clients, and encourages the growth of North American businesses that develop and commercialize innovative solutions to the water issues facing the world.

Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization. We provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ more than 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 18 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 52 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

For information about the Imagine H₂0 Innovation Challenge, visit www.imagineH20.org.

WASHINGTON (November 15, 2009) – Ten popular U.S. bottled water brands contain mixtures of 38 different pollutants, including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol and industrial chemicals, some at levels no better than tap water, according to laboratory tests recently conducted by Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Walmart‘s Sam’s Choice at several locations contained contaminants exceeding California’s bottled water quality standards and safety levels for carcinogens under the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Giant Food’s Acadia brand consistently retained the high levels of cancer-causing chlorination byproducts found in the suburban Washington DC tap water from which it is made.

Overall, the test results strongly indicate that the purity of bottled water cannot be trusted.

“It’s buyer beware with bottle water,” said Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research at EWG. “The bottled water industry promotes its products as pure and healthy, but our tests show that pollutants in some popular brands match the levels found in some of the nation’s most polluted big city tap water systems. Consumers can’t trust that what’s in the bottle is anything more than processed, pricey tap water.”

“For years the bottled water industry has marketed their product with the message that it is somehow safer or purer than tap water,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the non-profit consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. “This new report provides even more evidence that the purity of bottled water is nothing more than a myth propagated to trick consumers into paying thousands times more for a product than what it is actually worth.”

Laboratory tests conducted for EWG at one of the country’s leading water
quality laboratories found 38 contaminants in ten brands of bottled water purchased from grocery stores and other retailers in nine states and the District of Columbia. The pollutants identified include common urban wastewater pollutants like caffeine and pharmaceuticals, an array of cancer-causing byproducts from municipal tap water chlorination, heavy metals and minerals including arsenic and radioactive isotopes, fertilizer residue and a broad range of industrial chemicals. Four brands were also contaminated with bacteria.

Unlike tap water, where consumers are provided with test results every year, the bottled water industry does not disclose the results of any contaminant testing that it conducts. Instead, the industry hides behind the claim that bottled water is held to the same safety standards as tap water. But with promotional campaigns saturated with images of mountain springs, and prices 1,000 times the price of tap water, consumers are clearly led to believe that they are buying a product that has been purified to a level beyond the water that comes out of the garden hose.

Americans paid $12 billion to drink 9 billion gallons of bottled water last year alone. Yet, as EWG tests show, several bottled waters bore the chemical signature of standard municipal water treatment -- a cocktail of fluoride, chlorine and other disinfectants whose proportions vary only slightly from plant to plant. In other words, some bottled water was chemically almost indistinguishable from tap water. The only striking difference: the price tag. The typical cost of a gallon of bottled water is $3.79 – 1,900 times the cost of a gallon of public tap water.

Unlike public water utilities, bottled water companies are not required to notify their customers of the presence of contaminants in the water, or, in most states, to tell their customers where the water comes from, how it is purified, and if it is spring water or merely bottled tap water. Given the industry's refusal to make available data to support their claims of superiority, consumer confidence in the purity of bottled water is simply not justified.

The bottle water industry has also contributed to one of the biggest environmental problems facing the world today. Only one-fifth of the bottles produced by the industry are recycled. The remaining four-fifths pile up at landfills, litter our neighborhoods and foul our oceans. About halfway between Hawaii and California, an area twice the size of Texas is awash in millions of plastic water bottles and other indestructible garbage.

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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/water/qualitytreatment/Pages/turbidity.aspx

Issued by - City of Vancouver

As a result of extremely heavy rains that have fallen on the steep mountains above Metro Vancouver’s water supply lakes, some consumers may notice that tap water will become cloudy or coloured within the next 24 hours. Cloudiness, or turbidity, occurs when sediment or organic material is washed into the region’s reservoirs by the runoff from heavy rainfall. As turbidity increases, statistical studies have indicated there is the potential for an increase in gastrointestinal illness.

Disinfection levels have been increased as a precaution and Metro Vancouver continues to monitor water quality closely. In anticipation of increased turbidity, all residents may wish to set aside a supply of tap water in containers. Water quality updates will be posted to Metro Vancouver's website - www.metrovancouver.org.

For more information on week

ctvbc.ca When it comes to flooding --you'd think the biggest problem for BC homeowners would be water coming in from outside. But it turns out a broken pipe inside the home is more likely to cause damage. Helena Dolan of Intact Insurance says water damage from a leaking or broken pipe-- is a big problem. "We've seen claims where the entire house has to be gutted," she said. It's a 140 million dollar per year bill for Canada's insurance companies. The average water damage claim in BC is $14,000. "A majority of water damage claims could be reduced if not prevented entirely," Dolan said. Vern Milani a Plumber says the most common leaks are usually underneath kitchen or bathroom sinks, toilet supply hoses, washing machine hoses and hot water tanks. Milani rigged up some typical leaks - from the slow to the dramatic - to show us what can happen around your home. The Water Guardian detects small amounts of water and then electronically shuts off the main water supply in the house. You install them where ever leaks can happen. We tested one sensor with a few squirts from a spray bottle and it was enough to shut off the water and prevent a flood. "Just a little drop of water onto the sensors will set them off," Milani said. The Water Guardian is not the only system a Watts brand detects leaks at hot water tanks shutting off the water and the gas or electricity on electric tanks. The "Flood Stopper" can shut off water with even a tiny amount on the tip of my finger. Cost of a typical system including installation is around $500 dollars. And if you install one of these systems you may qualify for an insurance discount of up to 10 per cent. Check your company or broker. And remember -- while damage can be repaired -- not everything is replaceable. "Your family photos and the grandfather clock that has been passed down through generations," Dolan said. A water detection system can protect the irreplaceable With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen Check out WA-2!'s Water Guardian Leak Protection under our products page and product your assets!

Sampling Plan and Analytical Methodology

In this survey, samples of 54 different bottled water products marketed under 21 brands by 16 companies were purchased in a local store in Ottawa in April 2008. These products covered a variety of water types, such as spring, mineral, flavoured, carbonated and non-carbonated. These products came in various types of containers including glass, metal, high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) and polycarbonate. In addition, samples from two different brands of bottled water products in polycarbonate carboys in the office area (delivered directly by the producers) were also analysed for BPA. Containers of all polycarbonate bottled water products were the 18.5-L polycarbonate carboys.

The method based on isotope dilution headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by GC-MS analysis², developed previously by Health Canada, was used to analyse water samples for the presence of BPA in 56 bottled water products sold in Canada. The method detection limit was 0.5 µg/L*. A total of 68 samples from the 56 bottled water products were collected, and two subsamples from each sample were analysed. The results shown in Table 1³ are the average of the two analyses.

Notes:

• Bottled water samples were tested as consumed.
• It should be noted that the absence of any particular brand from this survey means only that the brand was not included in the survey. No particular inference should be drawn from the presence or absence of any brand.
• Samples represent a "snapshot" of the market at the time of sampling and do not represent market share. Product names and availability correspond to the time of sampling and may not represent current products on the market. Differences between brands do not necessarily reflect differences in consumer exposure to BPA.
• The results shown in Table 1³ are generated for research purposes and should not be used to indicate the distribution of bisphenol A in bottled water products or as indices of good product choices for consumers.

BPA Levels in Bottled Water Products

Table 1³ summarizes the levels of BPA determined in samples of the bottled water products. Levels of BPA in samples from all 51 non-polycarbonate bottled water products were less than the method detection limit of 0.5 µg/L*. BPA was detected in 13 of 17 samples from 4 of the 5 different polycarbonate bottled water products. Concentrations of BPA ranged from 0.50 to 8.82 µg/L*, with an average of 1.5 µg/L*. Since migration of BPA from polycarbonate containers into water at room temperature is very slow, it is likely that the products with higher BPA levels were exposed to heat (e.g. under the sun) during storage, and / or transportation.

Health Significance of the Survey Results

In March, 2008, Health Canada's Food Directorate completed a Health Risk Assessment of BPA from Food Packaging Applications⁺ to determine exposure estimates to BPA. Health Canada's Food Directorate has concluded that:

• The current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and young children.
• In view of uncertainties related to datasets on possible neurodevelopmental and behavioural effects that BPA may have in experimental animals, Health Canada's Food Directorate has recommended that precaution be exerted on products consumed by the sensitive subset of the population, i.e. infants and newborns, by applying the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle to reduce their exposure to BPA through food packaging applications.

Other international food regulatory agencies - notably in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia-New Zealand - have reviewed the Health Risk Assessment of Bisphenol A from Food Packaging Applications⁺, prepared by Health Canada's Food Directorate, and have confirmed that the conclusions reached are supported by the current scientific evidence as described in the document.

The provisional tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 25 μg/kg body weight/day has been pre-established by Health Canada as a conservatively safe level for BPA presence in food and was confirmed in the 2008 Health Risk Assessment of BPA from Food Packaging Applications⁺.

The contribution of BPA levels in bottled water to the overall exposure is negligible for the general population, and the consumption of water from polycarbonate carboys does not pose a safety concern.

Based on the average BPA level found in polycarbonate bottled water products (1.5 µg/L*), an adult (60 kg body weight) would have to consume approximately 1000 L of bottled water from polycarbonate carboys in one day to approach the TDI set by Health Canada's Food Directorate. For the specific population who consume water packaged only in polycarbonate carboys, the exposure to BPA would increase from 0.18 to 0.22 µg/kg body weight assuming an average of 1.5 µg/L* of BPA in polycarbonate bottled water and an average daily water consumption of 1.5 L.

The results of this survey clearly indicate that exposure to BPA through the consumption of bottled water would be extremely low. The low levels of BPA found in polycarbonate bottled water products available for sale in Canada confirm Health Canada's previous assessment conclusion that the current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population.

Table 1: Concentrations (µg/L) of BPA in bottled water products as consumed

• It should be noted that the absence of any particular brand from this survey means only that the brand was not included in the survey. No particular inference should be drawn from the presence or absence of any brand.
• Samples represent a "snapshot" of the market and do not represent market share. Product names and availability correspond to the time of sampling and may not represent current products on the market. Differences between brands do not necessarily reflect differences in consumer exposure to BPA.
• The results shown in the table are exploratory and should not be used to indicate the distribution of bisphenol A in bottled water products or as indices of good product choices for consumers.

Container Type	Brand Name / Producer	Product Name	Country or Province of Origin	Container Size (L)	BPA Concentration (ug/L)
Can	Nestle Waters Canada	Perrier Carbonated Natural Spring Water	France	0.33
Glass	Loblaws Inc.	President's Choice Splendido Lightly Carbonated Natural Mineral Water	Italy	0.75
		President's Choice Carbonated Natural Spring Water	Italy	0.75
		President's Choice Lime Flavoured Natural Spring Water	Italy	0.75
	Nestle Waters Canada	S.Pellegrino Carbonated Natural Mineral Water	Italy	0.75
		S.Pellegrino Carbonated Natural Mineral Water	Italy	0.25
		Perrier Lime Carbonated Spring Water	France	0.75
		Perrier Natural Spring Water	France	0.75
		Perrier Lemon Carbonated Spring Water	France	0.75
	Santa Maria Food Corp Toronto	San Benedetto Carbonated Natural Spring Water	Italy	0.75
	Tree of Life, Mississauga	Apollinaris Classic Naturally Carbonated Mineral Water	Germany	1
HDPE	Loblaws Inc.	Real Canadian Natural Spring Water	Ontario	4
		President's Choice Natural Spring Water	Ontario	10
Polycarbonate	Aquaterra Corporation	Labrador Source Natural Spring Water	Quebec	18.5	0.86
	Culligan of Brockville	Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 1	Canada	18.5	8.82
		Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 2	Canada	18.5	6.52
		Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 3	Canada	18.5	0.8
		Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 4	Canada	18.5
		Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 5	Canada	18.5	0.79
		Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 6	Canada	18.5	1.09
		Culligan Demineralized Water, Bottle 7	Canada	18.5	0.5
	Loblaws Inc.	President's Choice Natural Spring Water Non Carbonated	Quebec	18.5	0.67
		President's Choice Distilled Water	Canada	18.5
	LPCS Carleton Place,ON	Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 1	Ontario	18.5	0.98
		Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 2	Ontario	18.5
		Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 3	Ontario	18.5	1.4
		Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 4	Ontario	18.5	0.63
		Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 5	Ontario	18.5
		Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 6	Ontario	18.5	0.64
		Water Life Purely for the Taste Natural Spring Water, Bottle 7	Ontario	18.5	0.59
PETE	Aquaterra Corporation	Canadian Springs Distilled Water	Quebec	4
		Canadian Springs Natural Spring Water	Quebec	8
	Coca-Cola Company	Dasani Remineralized Water	Ontario	1
		Dasani Remineralized Water	Ontario	0.5
		Dasani Natural Lemon Flavoured Water Beverage	Ontario	0.5
	Danone Waters of Canada Inc.	Evian Natural Spring Water	France	1.5
		Evian Natural Spring Water	France	0.33
	DNW/EDN	Silhouette Danone Lemon Spring Water Based Beverage	Quebec	1
		Silhouette Danone Pink Grapefruit Green Tea Spring Water Based Beverage	Quebec	1
		Naya Aquakids Natural Spring Water	Quebec	0.33
	Elco Fine Foods Inc.	Gerolsteiner Naturally Sparkling Mineral Water	Germany	1
	Ice River Springs Water Co. Inc.	Ice River Springs Natural Spring Water	Ontario	0.5
	Loblaws Inc.	Real Canadian Natural Spring Water	Ontario	1.5
		President's Choice Free & Clear Golden Peach Sparkling Water Beverage	Ontario	1
		President's Choice Free & Clear Tangerine Lime Sparkling Water Beverage	Ontario	1
		President's Choice Free & Clear Berries of the Woods Sparkling Water Beverage	Ontario	1
		President's Choice Free & Clear Key Lime Sparkling Water Beverage	Ontario	1
		President's Choice Free & Clear Blackcurrant Cassis Sparkling Water Beverage	Ontario	1
		President's Choice Free & Clear Black Cherry Sparkling Water Beverage	Ontario	1
		President's Choice Orange Mist Flavoured Water Beverage	Ontario	0.5
		President's Choice Strawberry Mist Flavoured Water Beverage	Ontario	0.5
		President's Choice Natural Spring Water	Ontario	1.5
	Majestic North Group Inc.	Nateczowianka Natural Mineral Water	Poland	1.5
	Metro Brands	Master Choice Carbonated Natural Spring Water	Quebec	1
	Nestle Waters Canada	Montclair Natural Spring Water	Ontario	0.71
		Pure Life Sparkling Original Carbonated Spring Water	Maine,USA	1
		Pure Life Sparkling Lime Carbonated Spring Water	USA	1
		Pure Life Natural Spring Water	Ontario	1.5
		Perrier Carbonated Natural Mineral Water	France	0.5
	Pepsico Inc.	Aquafina Citrus Blend Naturally Flavoured Water Beverage	Ontario	0.5
	Pepsi-QTG Canada	Aquafina Raspberry Naturally Flavoured Water Beverage	Ontario	0.5
		Aquafina Berry Burst Naturally Carbonated Water Beverage	Ontario	0.5
		Propel Gatorade Vitamin Enhanced Water	Ontario	0.5
	Pepsi-Cola Canada Ltd	Aquafina Demineralized Treated Water	Ontario	1.5
	Santa Maria Food Corp Toronto	Naturale San Benedetto Mineral Water	Italy	0.5
		Naturale San Benedetto Natural Spring Water	Italy	1.5
		Frizzante San Benedetto Carbonated Natural Spring Water	Italy	1.5
	S&F Food Importers Inc.	Jordanka Sparkling Natural Mineral Water	Poland	1.5

1 Cao, Xu-Liang and Corriveau, Jeannette (2008) 'Survey of bisphenol A in bottled water products in Canada', Food Additives and Contaminants: Part B, 1:2, 161 - 164.

2 Xu-Liang Cao and Jeannette Corriveau. Determination of Bisphenol A in Water by Isotope Dilution Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Without Derivatization. J. AOAC Intern., 2008, 91, 622-629.

3 The data contained in this document was published in peer-reviewed literature: Cao, Xu-Liang and Corriveau, Jeannette. Survey of Bisphenol A in Bottled Water Products in Canada, Food Additives and Contaminants: Part B Vol. 1, No. 2, December 2008, 161-164.

* 1 µg/L is equivalent to 0.000001 g/L or 1 part per billion (ppb)

⁺ Health Risk Assessment of Bisphenol A from Food Packaging Applications. ISBN: 978-0-662-48686-2.