OLDS - Within a few hours on Sunday, Olds' municipal water supply went from "safe to use" to the subject of a boil water advisory which is still in effect.
"Due to a power outage on the regional water system, the Town of Olds is experiencing discolouration of its water in much of the town," the Town of Olds notified the community in a post on social media earlier today. "Our water remains safe to drink and the town will be flushing many of its hydrants starting immediately."
The post apologized for the inconvenience and asked people to be be mindful of operations staff and fire department members working around the town today.
By 4:54 p.m., an alert issued by Alberta Emergency Alert was broadcast across the province saying a boil water advisory was issued for the community.
"Due to the power failure at the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission’s treatment plant, the Town of Olds has been placed under a boil water advisory effective from immediately," the alert stated, adding further "Ongoing water quality testing is holding steady so this is precautionary measure due to continued water discoloration in some parts for Town."
Residents are asked to boil water for at least one minute prior to consuming or cooking.
The boil water advisory is expected to last for the next 24 – 48 hours until the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission has flushed its main supply line to Olds and reservoir levels are restored.
Earlier today, the Town of Olds posted on social media that the municipal supply in much of the town was experiencing discolouration due to a power outage on the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission.
"Water pressure issues will occur during this flushing. We thank you again for your patience," says a 12:03 p.m. update from the municipality.
At 1:34 p.m. the municipality noted it had paused its flushing program started earlier to address the issue, as the regional commission was currently flushing the main line into Olds.
"This is to ensure reservoir levels remain stable," the Town of Olds noted. "Water quality remains safe for use, but there may be pockets of discolouration remaining."
The municipality estimated it would re-evaluate at approximately 4 p.m. once the regional flushing was complete.
"If discolouration is still high we may need to re-commence flushing locally," the municipality noted. "Thank you for your patience. We encourage you to submit any concerns to our report a problem system.
At 4:03 p.m. the municipality advised that the community was under a boil water advisory as a precautionary measure and Alberta Emergency Alert issued an alert about 40 minutes later.
The community is asked to boil water for at least one minute prior to consuming or cooking.
The update also noted that Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission has flushed its main supply line to Olds and reservoir levels are restored.
