ASSINIBOIA - A Precautionary Drinking Water Advisory (PDWA) has been placed on the Town of Assiniboia’s distribution system and is effective August 2, 2021 until further notice. Despite the good efforts of the operator to maintain safe drinking water through treatment and disinfection, there has been a deviation from normal operation, causing higher than normal turbidity levels.
An operational upset such as high turbidity may compromise the treatment process allowing for the possibility that the potable water may have become contaminated. This Precautionary Drinking Water Advisory remains in effect until the Assiniboia distribution system can be ensured at all times.
This advisory can be rescinded following: The turbidity returns to normal operating levels; water quality returns to acceptable levels within the system, and the receipt of two consecutive sets of three bacteriological samples (total of six samples) collected one day apart along with chlorine and turbidity results, and marked as “other”, that are negative for bacteriological growth in the final treated potable water being supplied throughout the distribution system mentioned above.
PDWAs are issued by the Water Security Agency in consultation with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health when there is a possibility that problems with the water supply system may exist, although an immediate public health threat has not been identified. PDWAs for SaskWater systems are most frequently issued during service and maintenance repairs that require the system to be depressurized for more than two hours.
PDWAs issued under these circumstances are a precautionary measure because the quality of water cannot be verified while the system is depressurized. Precautions to be taken by all households during a PDWA: Boil all water used for drinking purposes for at least one (1) minute at a rolling boil prior to use.
