Summary: Water service will be restored tomorrow morning, Sunday 22nd. We also have to issue a boil water advisory.
Our amazing operations crew have located the large leak that forced us to turn off the water yesterday morning. The leak turned out to be on Dalton Drive, not far from the ferry terminal. We will be able to turn the water back on to the district once our storage tanks have been replenished. We expect this to occur tomorrow morning. We will not be able to fully pressurize Dalton Drive, so residents at the far end may experience low pressure. If you do not have water by noon tomorrow please let us know. Once the water comes back on, you may need to run your taps for a while to get a steady flow. As well, it may take a while for the water lines to refill in some parts of the watershed, particularly at higher elevations.
Unfortunately, once the water service is restored, we are required to issue a BOIL WATER ADVISORY. The recent shutoff of the entire system created the possibility of contamination of the lines distributing water from the plant, because the lines may have become empty, AND there was a leak occurring, which means that non-potable water COULD enter our lines at the point of the leak. Although we have no evidence of contamination and chlorine measurements throughout the system are within the appropriate range, we are required by law to issue the advisory.
For your safety, you are advised to boil your drinking water prior to consumption.
Any water that will be used for drinking, washing ready-to-eat fruits or vegetables (i.e. that won’t be cooked), for making juice or ice, and for brushing your teeth should be brought to a rolling boil for 1 minute (and then cooled) before using. You are reminded to let the water cool in a safe place to prevent scalding. To help you deal with these circumstances, please visit the Vancouver Island Health Authority website, which contains lots of useful tips here.
We will be submitting water samples to the Vancouver Island Health Authority weekly, and they will advise us when we can lift the Boil Water Advisory.