A boil-water advisory that lasted more than two days and impacted 200,000 customers in the Halifax area was lifted Thursday morning.
The advisory impacted people in Beaver Bank, Middle and Lower Sackville, Upper Hammonds Plains, Bedford, Fall River, Windsor Junction, Halifax, Timberlea, Spryfield, Waverley and Herring Cove.
In a news release Thursday morning, Halifax Water said residents in those communities could resume consuming their tap water after following a few steps.
The utility said fridges or other appliances that store water should be flushed for 10 minutes, and ice made by an ice maker or in an ice cube tray during the boil-water advisory should be discarded.
Halifax Water said it had been continuously monitoring the system and completed the sampling required by the provincial Environment Department and the medical officer of health.
The advisory was put in place early Tuesday morning following a planned power outage by Nova Scotia Power that caused an electrical issue at the Pockwock Lake Drinking Water Treatment Facility.
Water continued to be treated, but lacked chlorine disinfection for approximately 30 minutes. The interruption allowed a limited amount of unchlorinated water to enter the system.
The advisory forced businesses and health-care facilities to pivot for the second time in seven months. An electrical issue at the same facility last July prompted a two-day boil-water advisory for the same customers.
Some food establishments were closed or offering reduced menus. Nova Scotia Health said 220 non-urgent procedures had to be rescheduled.
Halifax Water said the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has requested an investigation report to be filed by Feb. 4.
Halifax Water says the advisory, which first came into effect on Tuesday, will last until further notice. Some are questioning the use of an emergency alert. Celina Aalders has the story.
The report will include a review of what happened and recommendations to make sure it doesn’t occur again. It will be shared with the province, the Halifax Water Board of Commissioners and Halifax regional council.
Halifax Water spokesperson Brittany Smith said no other details will be shared about the incident until the report is submitted.
“This report, which will be publicly available, will provide insight into many of the questions raised, including what happened and how it will be prevented in the future,” said Smith in an emailed statement.
“Halifax Water wants to apologize for this significant event and its impact on people’s lives. Once again, we want to thank our customers for their patience, and we are committed to improving our services in the future.”
