1.3 million people affected after routine maintenance at Atwater plant stirs sediment

 

By RENÉ BRUEMMER and Anne Sutherland, THE GAZETTE

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MONTREAL — Routine maintenance gone wrong at one of Montreal’s biggest water filtration plants spurred the largest boil water advisory in the city’s history Wednesday, forcing schools to tape their water fountains closed, cafés to boil water and water-based businesses like fruit-drink maker Liquid Nutrition to close up shop for the day. In total, 1.3 million of the island’s 1.8 million residents were affected.

Officials with the City of Montreal’s water department said the 24-hour boil water advisory was just a precautionary measure, as the contamination was likely limited to non-toxic sediment in the water and probably wasn’t tainted with bacteria.

But with more than a million residents receiving emergency notices from the city’s reverse 911 message service containing little information on the cause of the adivsory, murky water pouring from some taps and a 24-hour delay before bacteria tests would return, many residents were not soothed by the city’s assurances.

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The problem originated at Montreal’s 95-year-old Atwater filtration plant, one of the largest in North America, which has been undergoing extensive renovations to renew its infrastructure for the last four years. To complete work, water levels are routinely lowered in the main basin that supplies drinking water to much of the city, a reservoir roughly 15 metres square and more than 10 metres deep, holding water extracted from the St. Lawrence River that has already been filtered and treated with chlorine. Except late Tuesday night, the levels went far lower that they were supposed to.

“For a reason we’re not aware of yet, the water went down at least 30 feet (10 metres),” said Chantal Morissette, head of Montreal’s water supply department. “It was almost emptied.” With the result that sediment resting at the bottom was stirred up and sent out.

Problems first turned up in Verdun and the Sud-Ouest boroughs, the first areas the plant supplies, as brown water emitted from the taps. The city sent out a boil-water advisory for those areas at 9:30 a.m. Then the city realized the tainted water had made it to pipes connecting it to the city’s other main water filtration centre, the Charles J. Des Baillets plant. Together, the plants pump water directly to some areas of the city and to six reservoirs high up on Mount Royal, from where they are distributed to almost every section of the city. By 10:30 a.m., the boil water advisory was extended to all areas of the island east of Montreal West and Cote St. Luc, (the West Island is served by a separate filtration centre) and all but the northern-most boroughs of the island.

“It was basically a ‘whoops’ moment,” said Montreal fire department division chief Gordon Routley, whose departement is responsible for public safety on the island. “As far as we know it’s just the sediment, but better safe than sorry.”

At the Montreal Children's hospital, no babies are being immersed in bathwater for the foreseeable future and staff have been advised to boil water in the microwave and not in a kettle. Because many of the tiny patients have immune deficiencies, parents are advised not to warm baby bottles up in warm water because of the risk of cross contamination to hands and therefore to baby.

Though the water in question was filtered and treated with chlorine to remove bacteria, the sediment may be more resistant to chemical treatment and thus could contain bacteria, Morissette said. Test results will be available Thursday morning.

At 2:15 p.m. the city added the boroughs of St-Laurent and Villeray/St-Michel/Park Extension to the list.

Residents across that swath of Montreal Island are warned to boil the somewhat brownish water flowing from their taps — or use bottled water — until further notice.

Some of the affected municipalities and districts include: Verdun, Point St-Charles, St-Henri, Côte-St-Paul, Ville-Émard, Notre-Dâme-de-Grace, Westmount, Côte-St-Luc, Hampstead, Town of Mount Royal, Anjou, Montreal East and the off-island town of Charlemagne.

Until further notice, residents are advised to run their taps until the water runs clear and then boil their drinking water for at least one minute.

The city is recommending boiling water or using bottled water for drinking, preparing baby formula, washing fruits and vegetables, brushing teeth and making ice cubes.

Water straight out of the faucet is okay for washing hands and dishes, as long as very hot water is used and the hands are dried immediately. Unboiled tap water is also fine for washing clothes and taking a bath or shower.

Parents should make sure small children keep their mouths closed and not swallow bathwater. Better still, skip bath time for a day or give them a sponge bath.

The City of Montreal says people who drank water before realizing there was an advisory should be okay but anyone with health concerns, suffering from a sore stomach or gastrointestinal ailments, can call Info Santé at 811.

When the situation has reverted to normal, the city will advise.

Citizens can call 311 for more information, or go to the city of Montreal's website.

JAN RAVENSBERGEN OF THE GAZETTE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY.

asutherland@montrealgazette.com
janr@montrealgazette.com

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