Boil-water advisory lifted for Halifax-area communities

A boil-water advisory that lasted more than two days and impacted 200,000 customers in the Halifax area was lifted Thursday morning. The advisory affected residents in Beaver Bank, Middle and Lower Sackville, Upper Hammonds Plains, Bedford, Fall River, Windsor Junction, Halifax, Timberlea, Spryfield, Waverley, and Herring Cove.

In a news release on Thursday morning, Halifax Water announced that residents in those communities could now resume consuming tap water after following a few steps. They advised flushing fridges or other appliances that store water for 10 minutes and discarding ice made during the boil-water advisory.

Halifax Water stated that they had been continuously monitoring the system and completed the necessary sampling required by the provincial Environment Department and the medical officer of health.

The boil-water advisory was put in place early Tuesday morning following a planned power outage by Nova Scotia Power that caused an electrical issue at the Pockwock Lake Drinking Water Treatment Facility. Water continued to be treated but lacked chlorine disinfection for approximately 30 minutes, allowing a limited amount of unchlorinated water to enter the system.

This advisory forced businesses and health-care facilities to adjust for the second time in seven months. An electrical issue at the same facility last July also prompted a two-day boil-water advisory for the same customers. Some food establishments were closed or offering reduced menus, and Nova Scotia Health had to reschedule 220 non-urgent procedures.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has requested an investigation report to be filed by February 4. This report will include a review of the incident and recommendations to prevent similar issues in the future. It will be shared with the province, the Halifax Water Board of Commissioners, and Halifax regional council.

Halifax Water spokesperson Brittany Smith mentioned that no further details would be shared about the incident until the report is submitted. The report, which will be publicly available, aims to provide insight into what happened and how to prevent it from occurring again. Smith apologized for the significant event and its impact on people’s lives, thanking customers for their patience and expressing a commitment to improving services in the future.