Boil water advisory in Brandon lifted; water main repairs underway
One water main break near Brandon’s water treatment plant Monday morning led to a nearly three-day boil water advisory that affected thousands of Brandon residents.
In a notice Wednesday afternoon, the city said the advisory had been lifted by the Medical Officer of Health.
"The Brandon water system has met all conditions for rescinding the boil water advisory and the bacteriological testing results have met regulatory standards," the notice reads.
The city said results from two sets of bacteriological tests submitted 24 hours apart have met regulatory standards.
“This water main break has had the greatest impact that we’ve ever seen,” Patrick Pulak, operations general manager with the city, told CTV News. “Normally we deal with 20 to 30 residential units, maybe five to 10 commercial units. So just because of the location of the water main break so close to the water plant, it had a significant impact on our distribution system.”
The city said 6,500 residential units and 250 commercial units were under the advisory, covering effectively the entire west side of Brandon from west of 18th Street and south of the Assiniboine River to the city limits in both directions.
The pipe that broke was an asbestos concrete pipe that was installed in the 1960s.
“[The asbestos] doesn’t pose any health threat whatsoever,” said Pulak. “So when the boil water advisory was issued, it had nothing to do with the fact that it was asbestos concrete. It had everything to do with the fact that you’ve depressurized the system.”
One of the businesses affected was Princess Dental, but they had a solution built into each of their rooms.
“All of our rooms are independent water sources, so we were able to just continue as normal,” said Jerilyn Miscavish, Princess Dental’s office manager. “We did get bottled water to use in the independent reservoirs, so we were able to not have to reschedule any patients that day and we were just able to continue on.”
Some residents that spoke with CTV News said the city’s initial communication about the advisory could have been better, with the topic of communication in Monday’s advisory being brought up at that night’s regularly scheduled city council meeting.
“It was such a large area that was impacted, so how do you get the message out to that many people?” said Pulak, who noted that communication was one of the biggest challenges in this case.
The city sent out numerous PSAs through social media and news media, but residents that don’t use social media, or watch or listen to the news had to rely on finding out through word of mouth.
“Certainly council has asked us to take a step back and re-evaluate how we get our messages out to the public,” Pulak added.
Crews have begun fixing the water main break and work is scheduled to continue tomorrow.
The city said it will be reopening the Valleyview Spray Park at 77 Whillier Drive, and the Westridge Spray Park at 61 Silverbirch Drive as of 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The city said those with questions can call the City of Brandon Underground Utilities Section during business hours at 204-729-2285.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.