OLDS — The boil water advisory, instituted by Alberta Health Services (AHS) since late Sunday afternoon has been lifted.
The Town of Olds made that announcement at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The advisory was lifted after a second set of water samples came back clean on Wednesday. An initial set of water samples taken earlier in the week also came back clean.
However, although the advisory has been lifted, town officials say there are several precautions citizens must take before consuming any water.
They must flush, clean, and sanitize areas that have contact with water by:
• Turning on all taps and flushing water lines for at least five minutes (10 minutes if you live in an apartment building);
• Reading and following manufacturer instructions for flushing, cleaning, and sanitizing cisterns (containers that store drinking water), water filters, and ice and water dispenser;
• Draining and refilling hot-water tanks that are set below 45ºC.
• Running water softeners through a regeneration cycle. Follow manufacturer instructions to do so.
AHS has similar guidance for schools, restaurants, care facilities, etc. in facility-specific documents here.
The town was placed under a boil water advisory at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, due to a power failure at the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission treatment plant.
That forced water with sediment to shoot through a main line into Olds, resulting in the boil water advisory.
Town crews flushed the south reservoir to get rid of any possible contaminated water. Water samples were taken and submitted to the province for analysis.
Town officials thanked residents for their “on-going patience during this event” and promised to provide updates if any changes occurred ahead of the latest test results becoming available.
“The Town (of Olds) thanks residents for their patience and understanding during the advisory,” the website said.
