Winnipeg, MB - Late yesterday afternoon, the City of Winnipeg submitted an external report to the Office of Drinking Water, the regulator of drinking water in Manitoba, for the Province’s review of the findings and recommendations from the comprehensive, external assessment of the City of Winnipeg’s water system.
“The water was, and is, safe to drink,” said Geoffrey Patton, Acting Director of Water and Waste. “The independent assessment provides compelling evidence there was no contamination in Winnipeg’s water distribution system during the event that occurred in January 2015.”
The external Comprehensive Assessment of the City of Winnipeg’s Water System as it Relates to Recent Boil Water Advisories report concludes, “It appears most likely that the source of the positive samples originated in either a sample collection or laboratory contamination event.”
The assessment also notes that there was no connection between historical discoloured water events and historical bacteriological samples.
The report contains several recommendations outlining improvements that can be made to reduce the likelihood of positive samples in the future. Many of these have been implemented or are underway, such as improvements to the City’s sampling procedures.
What Happened
On January 27, 2015, the provincial Medical Officer of Health issued a precautionary boil water advisory for Winnipeg’s water system. This was done after water samples, taken regularly to monitor our water’s safety, tested positive for presence of bacteria.
The City took immediate action to alert residents and businesses via mainstream media, social media (Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube video messages posted by Mayor Brian Bowman), 311, and business account contact information.
At the same time, the City had already begun retesting water samples from locations that had positive results and surrounding locations. Results of these retests, received on January 28, showed the water was safe.
After a second set of retests was ordered and again confirmed the City’s water was safe, the precautionary boil water advisory was lifted by the provincial Medical Officer of Health on January 29.
On February 3, 2015, the Manitoba Office of Drinking Water issued an order to the City to carry out an investigation of the water system, to be completed in accordance with US EPA’s Revised Total Coliform Rule Assessments and Corrective Actions Guidance Manual.
The City retained an external consultant to undertake the investigation and to prepare a comprehensive, third-party report, which would also include two independent assessments initiated by the City that were specific to sampling and analysis procedures. This external report, the Comprehensive Assessment of the City of Winnipeg’s Water System as it Relates to Recent Boil Water Advisories report, was completed yesterday, April 30, 2015, and forwarded to the provincial Office of Drinking Water.
More Information
Today, to inform citizens and members of City Council, the Public Service also published an administrative report that includes the executive summary section of the Comprehensive Assessment of City’s Water System as it Relates to Recent Boil Water Advisories report submitted to the Province on April 30. The administrative report can be found on the agenda for the May 5, 2015 meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works.
Upon completion of the provincial regulatory review process, it is the intent of the City of Winnipeg to ensure openness and transparency by releasing the external Comprehensive Assessment of the City of Winnipeg’s Water System as it Relates to Recent Boil Water Advisories report, making its findings available to the public.
For more information on the external assessment of the City’s drinking water system, please visit City of Winnipeg - BWA Assessment.