Sudbury’s boil water in effect at least until Friday

It was a busy time at Culligan Water in Greater Sudbury, which did a month's worth of business in one day. (Photo from video)

The boil water advisory is still in effect in parts of Greater Sudbury, affecting as many as 90,000 residents who are being told to boil their water for at least a full minute before using it.

Areas affected include Sudbury, New Sudbury, both sides of O’Neil Drive West, the area between Maley Drive and O’Neil Drive West, and the area of Garson northwest of Falconbridge Road.

Officials with Sudbury & District Public Health emphasized Thursday that the advisory is precautionary and they don’t expect health impacts in the community

Emily Groot, the associate medical officer of health, said testing showed the presence of coliform.

“That’s a big group of different bacteria -- it’s a category of bacteria, it’s not a specific bacteria,” Groot said.

“And generally, those coliform are harmless. They don’t impact our health. But what they indicate is that there’s some issue that we need to understand. And when they’re present in the water, it means that we need to do further testing.”

She said two tests need to be done. The first has been completed and once they receive the results, the second test can be done. That means the advisory will be in place at least until May 8, but it could be longer.

So far, there have been no reports of illness.

“We’re not aware of anyone in the community who has been sick,” Groot said.

“This is a precaution to say that at this time, we don’t have enough information to say, yes, this water is safe to drink.”

The water is safe for washing and bathing, but to consume it, water must be boiled for a full minute and allowed to cool.

“Or obtain water from a different source,” she said.

“Either bottled water, purchase water, (get) water from communities that have not been impacted or private wells.”

As news of the advisory spread May 7, bottled water began flying off the shelves at stores across the city.

At Culligan Water in Sudbury, the taps are open and the bottles are filling up fast. Officials said the phones haven’t stopped ringing since the boil water advisory was issued.

“Usually, we get about 200 (calls) a month,” said Blaine Farrell, Culligan Water Canada regional manager of central Ontario.

“So far today, since 8 a.m., we’re up over the 200 mark and it’s only 12:32 p.m. So it’s been a little busier than normal, but we’re up to the task.”

At local grocery stores, however, water aisles emptied quickly Wednesday evening. For residents such as Lindsey Dumont, the sight was a shock.

“We go in and there is an employee … at the front and she was like, you know, there’s no water,” Dumont said.

“So we were kind of like, darn it. But after that, we still went into the store and I (saw) the shelves and I was absolutely mind blown.”

While Culligan assures customers they have enough supply to weather the rush, Dumont said retailers should do more to prevent panic-buying.

“I feel personally the store should put a limit and people should … leave water for other people,” she said.

“There are seniors. There are families with kids, toddlers.”

Dumont would like to see Sudburians do a better job of looking out for one another as residents wait for the all-clear from the city.

For those looking for water, city officials say the residential water filling station on Bay Street in Whitefish is available, but that everyone needs to bring their own containers.