Weyburn's drinking water supply again had discolouration for a day or two last week, but the City of Weyburn insists the water continued to be safe to drink, as tests have been continually carried out on the water.
Weyburn's drinking water supply again had discolouration for a day or two last week, but the City of Weyburn insists the water continued to be safe to drink, as tests have been continually carried out on the water.
As before, the discoloured water was due to a large watermain break, this time on King Street on Wednesday morning.
Asked about the incident, and the frequency with which it seems to be occurring, Mayor Debra Button said there is an explanation for the problem, and the water supply continues to be safe for drinking.
"The water is safe and we are continually testing it. If we find any indication of anything, we'd be notifying the public right away," said the mayor. "We are aware it's discoloured. Some people were telling me the water had a yellowish tinge to it."
On the frequency of the watermain breaks, Mayor Button said, "We're getting as many as we usually do, but in other years we perform a watermain flushing program. With all the other jobs we haven't yet got done, the flushing hasn't been done this year, so when the water rushes through the lines, it stirs up sediment (which causes the discolouration). It's the same when we do the water flushing, the water gets a little colour to it."
The city is telling people who call about the discolouration that they need to open up the taps to both hot and cold water for at least 10 minutes or more, to help flush out the water lines. The hot water should run as the discoloured water can end up in the hot water tank.
"We also advise that you not wash white or light-coloured clothing until the water clears up," added the mayor, noting they are trying to alleviate the discolouration by partially opening a hydrant in the area of the break to flush out the lines.
The two schools in the vicinity of the watermain break, Queen Elizabeth and the Comp, both ordered in bottled water for their students when the discoloured water appeared in the bathrooms and drinking fountains.
"The water was very rusty-coloured, really orange," said Brenda Croft, principal of Queen Elizabeth. "I got bottled water right away. It was very much like when we had the water situation in June; the kids were used to it."
She said they used bottled water for the balance of the day Wednesday and then through Thursday, and on Friday the city said the water should be cleared up by then.
Mayor Button said the city hasn't had any more watermain breaks than in other years, "it probably just appears that way. We will be taking a hard and fast look at the infrastructure (in coming months)."
Asked if there has been damage to the infrastructure from the spring flooding this year, the mayor said, "We're not sure what extent of damages there is with the storm sewers; we need to send a camera down and have a look at that."
Meantime, for those needing help with flood recovery, they have been receiving assistance through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) from what the city has been hearing.
"People are pleased with the turn-around from when they make a claim and when they get cash in their hands. That's what I've been told," said Mayor Button.
