A Saskatchewan city is advising residents not to use municipal water after it was discovered the hatch on one of its tanks had been compromised, prompting the RCMP to investigate.
Shawn Jacques, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA), told Global News that the “do not use” advisory was issued because officials cannot simply test the reservoir water in Outlook to ensure safety.
“To ensure residents' water supply is safe, the protocol is to drain the tanks, then clean them, and then refill and retest to ensure the water is safe,” he said.
The advisory began Monday at 9:30 a.m. local time and will remain in effect until the water supply is deemed completely safe.
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Crews have completed disinfecting the well and city staff continue to drain the contaminated water tanks, according to a notice from the Town of Outlook on Monday.
Jacques said WSA is working closely with the city and said Tuesday he expects the pond cleanup to be completed soon.
He added that the city must provide water to residents temporarily, but he expects the reservoirs to be back online within the next “day or so.”
Saskatchewan RCMP confirmed to Global News that they received a call around 2:00 pm on Monday regarding a report of damage at a water facility on Railway Avenue.
Police say they have determined that an unknown person or persons broke the lock on the treated tank, likely early Monday morning.
“Outlook RCMP are continuing their investigation. It has not been determined whether the suspect or suspects entered the outbuilding or if anything was stolen or tampered with,” RCMP said in an email.
The WSA also advises residents not only not to use tap water due to potential contamination, but also not to attempt to purify the water themselves.
“Boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or leaving water alone will not make the water safe,” the agency said in a notice.
Four-liter jugs of water began being distributed at the Jim Cook Recreation Complex at 10 a.m., with a limit of one per family.
– with files from Global News' Chris Vandenbrickel
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