Saskatchewan town remains without drinking water with restoration date unknown

One of Outlook, Sask.’s top officials says it’s “very difficult to say” when residents will have access to drinking water following the tampering of one of its reservoirs on Monday, but it won’t be before the end of the week.

Kevin Trew, chief administrative officer for the town, told Global News that there are still several steps to complete before drinking water will be available again.

“Things have been going a lot smoother there with the distribution (system) than they actually have for a couple days,” Trew said.

“We’re meeting targets and trying to get to the levels we need to get to.”

A local state of emergency that was issued this week also remains in effect until Friday. The “do not use” order that was issued Monday morning will remain in effect until Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA) deems the supply completely safe.

The shutdown leaves roughly 2,300 people in the town without water, along with others in some nearby communities that draw from Outlook’s supply.

On Wednesday, the town advised that crews have been flushing hydrants since 3 a.m., noting the distribution system is fully pressurized. With hydrants open, though, water pressure could be affected.

Trew said with the water distribution system turned back on, residents should be able to now flush their toilets again but are advised to continue to not use water for showers, washing dishes or drinking.

The order will remain in place until certain parameters are met to allow them to move to a “do not consume” order, Trew said. Under this advisory, people would be able to use their water for things like a shower, however people would still be advised not to drink the water or use it for washing dishes.

He said it is unknown how long this advisory would remain in place, but once the WSA deems it safe, the town could then move to a “precautionary drinking water advisory” (PDWA).

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Under a PDWA, residents could finally begin drinking the water if it’s boiled first, as well as using it for brushing their teeth and for washing small children. Once enacted, he said, this advisory would remain in place for at least three days.

The “do not use” advisory was issued, according to WSA CEO Shawn Jaques, because officials cannot simply test the reservoir water to ensure safety.

“To make sure that the water supply for residents is safe, the protocol is that the reservoirs are drained and then they’re cleaned and then refilled and retested to make sure the water is safe,” he said.

The whole incident began when officials determined a hatch to one of its reservoirs had been tampered with, which also prompted Saskatchewan RCMP to launch an investigation into what happened.

RCMP said they had received a report of mischief at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the water facility on Railway Avenue and determined an unknown person or people broke a lock to the treated reservoir early Monday.

Police said their probe is ongoing but it has not been determined whether the suspect or suspects entered the outbuilding or if anything was stolen or tampered with.

The WSA is advising residents that during the current “do not use” order, residents should avoid trying to treat the water in addition to not using it.

“Boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting the water stand will not make the water supply is determined to be completely safe,” the WSA said.