Water line break leads to boil water advisory in Esterhazy

The Town of Esterhazy was placed under a precautionary Boil Water Advisory last week after an emergency repair was required in the water treatment plant. The order was effective 8 am on Jan. 21, with contractors successfully completing repairs on Jan. 23.

“What’s happening right now is we’re on a bypass system,” explained CAO Tammy MacDonald during a Town Council meeting on Jan. 23. “We still need people to be cautious of how much water users are using, we’re still in a boil water advisory.”

After 24 hours, samples will be taken for lab analysis with the results determining next steps.

“The labs are closed on the weekends, and we have to have two clear tests back to lift the water advisory,” MacDonald told council. “So we will be on a precautionary boil water advisory until next week, until we get those samples back. But all the contractors on-site are feeling very good. The replacement repair went very, very well. Now, it’s just down to the technical part about re-filling with water, getting it running and getting the tests back.”

Water Security Agency spokesperson Patrick Boyle verified that course of action, providing a little more detail on the testing procedure.

“Once the repairs are finished, WSA requires two consecutive sets of 10 bacteriological samples which show negative results in the final treated potable water being supplied,” he said. “The two sets of samples should be taken at least 24 hours apart from representative areas in the distribution system, with one of the samples being immediately upstream and another immediately downstream of the repaired section.”

Of the repair work completed, council heard from Public Works Director of Operations, Earl Nickell. He elaborated that two valves were changed to stainless steel, repair clamps were put on the effluent line leaving the filters that then go into the reservoirs. A distribution pipe was replaced, then disinfecting actions took place.

Town staff acted quickly last week to spread the word about the advisory, posting information on the Town of Esterhazy website and via social media and posting physical copies of the notice in local businesses.

There is an option for residents to receive email notifications from the town when such events occur, however residents do need to sign up for the service.

“We’re trying to encourage people on the website,” MacDonald told council, explaining how people can register online for updates.

Until the advisory is lifted, residents are urged to bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute if intended for ingestion (drinking, brushing teeth, washing food, cleaning dishes). Also, residents are asked to refrain from excess water use (washing machines, showers, not flush toilets unless necessary).

This story was originally published in The World-Spectator. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.