Untapped: Major water warnings that hit Canadian cities

Sean Lynch Staunton stocks up on water for his hotel, in Montreal, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

In recent years, concerns over questionable drinking water have forced residents in several Canadian cities to take to boiling their water prior to consumption.

CTVNews.ca has compiled a list of major boil-water advisories:

Prince Albert

Residents of Prince Albert, Sask., experienced a six-week ban on tap water starting in February, 2012, after a defective valve at a water treatment plant caused untreated water to infiltrate the water supply system.

Tests found the harmful microorganisms giardia and cryptosporidium present in the water. The boil water advisory was lifted after repairs were made at the plant.

Vancouver

Approximately two million residents in the Greater Vancouver area, including several North Shore municipalities, were advised to boil their drinking water for more than a week in November 2006, after a severe storm caused landslides.

The ground movement pushed sediment into local reservoirs and rendered water cloudy and undrinkable by public health standards.

Saskatoon

Repairs to a main water supply line in Saskatoon’s north forced a precautionary drinking water advisory that affected as many as eight Saskatoon neighbourhoods in March 2013.

The watermain’s repair posed a potential risk of soil or other contaminants entering the area’s water supply system.

Drinking fountains at affected schools were made inaccessible and students were asked to bring bottled water or previously boiled water to drink at school.

Walkerton

A boil-water advisory was issued in Walkerton, Ont., in 2000 after the town’s water supply was found to be contaminated with the harmful E. coli bacteria.

Days after many of the town’s residents fell ill, the region’s public health department issued a boil-water advisory, but the delayed warning wouldn’t prevent widespread illness and the deaths of seven people in what is now considered Canada’s largest tainted water scandal in history.

Montreal

More than one million Montreal residents were ordered to boil their water after levels in a reservoir dipped and brown water began flowing from taps on May 22, 2013. Though city officials said the problem could be traced to the Atwater water filtration plant, which is currently undergoing extensive maintenance work, the exact cause has yet to be determined.

All residents living south of the Metropolitan Expressway were affected by the advisory, which was lifted on May 24.