Three Calgary communities are under a boil water advisory until further notice after a water main break in the southwest.
On Thursday afternoon, June 1, a water main break disrupted the supply of water to the southwest Calgary communities of Silverado, Yorkville and Belmont.
As a result, Alberta Health Services has ordered the City of Calgary to issue a Boil Water Advisory, effective immediately. Water service has been restored to most of the homes, but the advisory is in place as a precaution.
“Our crews worked quickly to restore water after a main break on Thursday afternoon,” said Chris Huston, Acting Director or Water Services.
“We were able to restore water to the affected communities early Friday morning. The Boil Water Advisory has been issued out of an abundance of caution.”
All residents and businesses within the affected area are advised to bring all tap water to a rolling boil for one full minute prior to any consumption.
The advisory covers activities such as drinking water, brushing teeth, cleaning raw foods, preparing infant formulas and juices, making ice, or any other activities where water may be ingested.
AHS, in an FAQ on boil water advisories, said that using a home water filter was insufficient to mitigate the affects of any potential contamination.
Surfaces and dishes, they said, that are cleaned with affected water should be sanitized with soap. Doing laundry and cleaning surfaces with water is safe so long as those surfaces do not touch food.
Bathing and showering according to AHS is safe, but parents are asked to ensure that young children do not drink water while doing so. AHS strongly discourages using affected water to fill wading pools, water play areas, or water tables.
Once the water boil advisory has been lifted, residents and businesses are asked to flush their water lines by running them for five minutes. Affected water should also be drained from any hot water tanks that are set to less than 45 degrees Celsius.
