A boil water order issued yesterday for the city of Lethbridge, nearby towns and rural municipalities is likely to affect local food processing operations as well as area residents.
Rapid snow melt and spring runoff have created poor quality raw water in the Oldman River, the region’s primary water source. The city’s water treatment plant has been unable to guarantee safe water quality since 10 a.m. yesterday, and the city has declared a local state of emergency that remains in effect.
Lethbridge residents and those in surrounding areas served by city water have been advised to boil their drinking water and eliminate non-essential water use.
Read Also
B.C. ostriches culled, CFIA confirms
Ostriches on an embattled Edgewood, B.C. farm have been culled after a prolonged legal battle, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed.
Various food processing plants in Lethbridge, Lethbridge County, Picture Butte, Coaldale and Coalhurst that rely on city-based water supplies have been asked to restrict or curtail use until the water is again declared safe.
“The unprecedented quick snow melt caused water to run directly over ice and frozen ground to river and streams,” said officials on the city’s website.
“As there was no place for dirt, silt and organic matter to seep into the ground, much more of it managed to make its way to the river then in previous spring thaws.”
The boil water order and calls for reduced use are expected to be in effect for several days.
Concerns about water supply led the city to issue a fire ban to ensure adequate water supplies and to close its recreational facilities in efforts to conserve. All car washes in the region have also been asked to close.
