Boil-water advisory lifted; Halifax Water says report will be available to the public

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore is also calling for a full investigation into an ongoing water-boil advisory.

A significant boil-water advisory affecting more than 200,000 people in the Halifax area has been lifted.

Halifax Water said in a statement Thursday morning test results confirm all drinking water samples have met the requirements established by Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (NSECC).

The utility says customers serviced by the JD Kline (Pockwock) water treatment facility should dispose of ice made during the advisory and fridges or other appliances that store water should be flushed for 10 minutes. 

People living in Beaver Bank, Middle and Lower Sackville, Upper Hammonds Plains, Bedford, Fall River, Halifax, Timberlea, Spryfield and Herring Cove were under the two-day advisory.

“Halifax Water wants to thank all of its customers for their cooperation and patience over the past two days and apologize for any inconvenience,” the utility said.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has requested an investigation into the incident, which will review what happened and offer recommendations to avoid repeating it in the future.

Halifax Water said the results will be shared with Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, the Halifax Water Board of Commissioners and Halifax Regional Council.

Mayor, premier respond

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore is also calling for a full investigation into the situation.

He posted a photo from a meeting with Halifax Water general manager Kenda MacKenzie on social media Wednesday.

In the post, Fillmore said he asked for the results of the investigation to be made public and for Halifax Water to test all backup systems.

Halifax Water told CTV Atlantic in an email the report will be available to the public.

“As we continue to gather information about the incident, there are no other details to share until the report is submitted on February 4, 2025,” said spokesperson Brittany Smith.

Fillmore has also asked that a new protocol be established for the emergency alert system to let Halifax residents know “ASAP” about problems.

Premier Tim Houston described the situation as a “complete embarrassment” during an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Todd Battis Wednesday.

He also said he is looking into if the province can regain some of the financial losses from Halifax Water.

The utility called it a “significant event” in its Wednesday afternoon statement and apologized.

“The leadership and staff of Halifax Water understand the impact this is having on people’s lives and that our customers are frustrated. We are committed to taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our customers' drinking water,” it said.

Dozens of schools and businesses were impacted by the advisory. Nova Scotia Health also said it had a “significant impact” on its ability to deliver full services, with more than 200 procedures affected.

Monday night power outage

The boil-water advisory was first issued early Tuesday morning following a power interruption at the JD Kline (Pockwock) Lake Water Treatment Facility Monday night.

Halifax Water says the issue stemmed from a planned power outage in the Hammonds Plains area. During the outage, the backup system kicked in, but the facility experienced an electrical failure and a fuse was blown.

The utility says the blown fuse impacted the chlorination process, which meant unchlorinated water entered the water system for about 30 minutes.

Halifax Water said it wasn’t directly notified about the planned outage. Nova Scotia Power said it issued calls to customers in the area Monday and shared information on its social media channels about the planned outage in order to fix a piece of equipment in need of urgent repair ahead of the cold weather.

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