One Saskatchewan town has been under a boil water advisory for more than a year

STOUGHTON, Sask. — In some towns and villages around Saskatchewan, people think twice before drinking water from the tap.
The provincial government’s list of community water wells, as well as towns and villages under boil water advisories is nine pages long.
Stoughton is one of them.
“We have been under a boil water advisory for over a year,” said mayor Heather Balon-Barmann.
“It is not because of bacteria in the water. It is because of turbidity (cloudiness). There is a high amount of manganese and iron in our water. We send in water samples weekly. We are required to do that.”
Stoughton, with a population of about 650 people, gets its water from a shallow well of five to nine metres.
Balon-Barmann said the boil water advisory means the school, nursing home, health centre and other facilities that deal with the public must use bottled water.
She said the community plans a new a water treatment plant, but the project is on hold while the town tries to find enough money.
“Unfortunately for us, six weeks after the Canada Infrastructure grant fund closed is when our water problems started. At this immediate moment there is nothing grant-wise from any of the levels of government.”
Local MLA Dan D’Autremont said he had never been made aware of the situation.
“There is always money available for projects like this for small communities. It is done on a cost sharing agreement,” he said.
Meanwhile, Stoughton and other communities on the boil water list must learn to cope with the situation and take the necessary steps.

Q: Why issue boil water advisories or boil water orders?

A: Advisories are issued after evidence of unacceptable levels of disease-causing bacteria, viruses or parasites in the water system, or unacceptable levels in the cloudiness (turbidity) in the water at its originating source.
A precautionary advisory might be issued when there is concern of a likelihood of contamination, such as when the system undergoes emergency repairs. Orders are issued where evidence indicates that the drinking water is or may be responsible for an outbreak of illness.

Q:Is it necessary to boil all water during an advisory or order?

A:Boil water used for drinking, preparing food, beverages, ice cubes, washing fruit and vegetables, or brushing teeth. Severely immunocompromised individuals should always boil tap water for those purposes.
Infant formulas should be prepared using boiled tap water at all times. If boiling is not practical, the public health authority or other responsible authority may direct the public to disinfect water using household bleach or to use an alternative water supply.
It is not necessary to boil tap water used for other household purposes such as showering, laundry, bathing or washing dishes. Adults, teens and older children can wash, bathe or shower, but they should avoid swallowing the water. Toddlers and infants should be sponge bathed.

Q: How should tap water be boiled?

A: Water should be placed in a pot and brought to a rolling boil for one minute to kill all disease-causing organisms.

Q: Does drinking water need to be boiled if there is a water treatment device?

A: It is still necessary to boil water if the device is designed to improve water’s taste, odour or chemical quality, such as activated carbon filters. Devices designed to disinfect water, such as a ultraviolet light units, may be used as a alternative to boiling. If the water is cloudy, filtration may be required before disinfection.

For more information on drinking and recreational water quality issues, e-mail water_eau@hc-sc.gc.ca