Residents who reside south of the CP Rail tracks in Estevan were subject to a boil water order for the better part of three days last week, after what the City of Estevan described as a major water main break.
The city, the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Water Security Agency issued the boil water order Wednesday afternoon due to the break that occurred beneath Perkins Street. The order was lifted for most affected residents Saturday afternoon after water samples came back clear.
The water main break also knocked out water to hundreds of residents who reside along or south of Perkins Street. The water was out for about 24 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, and those residents are still subject to a boil water order.
“It was just a large break on one of our main lines, which causes a lot of water to spill out,” said Shane Bucsis, the manager of the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants. “From estimates, it was probably leaking around 150 to 200 litres per second.”
When you have weather like what Estevan has had this winter, in which the temperatures constantly shift between warm and cold, Bucsis said the ground rises and falls, which causes the breaks to happen.
The city issued an advisory last Wednesday, saying that Perkins would be closed between Fourth Avenue and First Street A due to the break. The stretch of road remained closed until Friday afternoon.
An hour later, the boil water order was issued for those who reside south of the tracks, because the city couldn’t guarantee the safety of the water at that point.
“The reason for the boil water (order) is because the line depressurized,” said Bucsis. “We have to make sure no contaminants got inside the water mains.”
City crews worked throughout the night Wednesday, despite the -35 C wind chill, to try to find the leak. At 6 a.m. Thursday, they managed to find the source, and set about repairing it. Water was restored by Thursday afternoon.
“It’s very cold and very time-consuming,” said Bucsis. “The machinery works slower. People, because it’s cold out, need warm-up breaks, and even moving in heavier clothing, everyone moves a little bit slower. And you get sprayed with water, so your clothes are wet in -35.”
The city bought a new vac truck a couple of years ago, and it was put to good use for this operation because it was made to run in winter conditions.
Among the buildings that did not have water Wednesday and Thursday was Hillcrest School, so classes were cancelled Thursday. Students returned to school Friday.
Bucsis was proud of how the city staff handled the situation on Wednesday night, because it was so cold. Some contractors were brought in Thursday to help speed up the process.
“They were working hard in really cold, windy conditions. It’s never easy working with water in -35,” said Bucsis.
City crews were able to restore pressure to the system and collected five water samples each of Thursday and Friday to prove the water is safe. They were sent to a third-party lab on Friday and came back clear Saturday, allowing the boil water order to be lifted for most of south Estevan.
“If we had a hiccup at all in that, meaning we had a positive sample, then we had to go to the area and flush it, and then restart the process,” said Bucsis.
As for those still affected by the boil water advisory, the city collected two samples each of Monday and Tuesday this week. Those have been sent to the lab, and if the city gets the all clear on those samples, then the order can be lifted.
If they don’t come back clear, then the time frame will restart.
“We’d do some flushing again, and then we’d start to do the samples again,” said Bucsis.
Since the repairs on the water main weren’t completed until Friday, the city couldn’t collect samples around the affected areas until Monday, and that’s why the boil water order is still in effect.
Water sampling is something that the city has to do weekly under their permit to operate. They grab samples from three locations in the city and send them away for testing.
People were frustrated to not have water or to be forced to boil water, which is understandable, he said.
“It’s just one of those things that can potentially happen, when you have a system like this, and you have such a large break on one of our water lines,” said Bucsis.
He also noted this was not the same transmission line that had a large break in May 2017 that resulted in water being shut off to properties south of Perkins Street.
Buildings north of the CP Rail tracks were not affected by the boil water order. When the city opened a north reservoir in 2013, it created separate pressure zones for those who are north and south of the tracks.
Residents who are still affected by the boil water order are asked to:
•Boil water used for drinking purposes for at least one minute at a rolling boil prior to use;
•Not drink from any public drinking fountains supplied with water from the public water supply;
•Use an alternative water source known to be safe if they do not wish to boil the water; and
•Boil water for at least one minute at a rolling boil when it is to be used for other activities where it may be ingested, including brushing teeth or soaking false teeth; using water in food or drink which will not be subsequently heated; dishwashing unless sanitized in another fashion; making ice cubes; and washing fruit and vegetables.
Under most circumstances, residents do not need to boil water used for other household purposes, such showering, bathing or washing with tap water, but should avoid swallowing the water. Laundry can be washed with tap water.
