WINNIPEG – Officials in Winnipeg are hoping another round of tests expected today will confirm the city’s water is safe and allow them to lift a boil-water advisory.
The advisory was issued on Tuesday after routine testing found coliform and E. coli at extremely low levels in six of 39 water samples.
Further testing came back clean on Wednesday but regulations require two clean tests in a row before the all-clear can be declared.
READ MORE: How do you tell an entire city to boil water?
Mayor Brian Bowman said the city’s experts have concluded it’s likely the original samples were false-positives.
Officials said the testing and re-testing was being done as quickly as possible but noted the samples need time to grow in the lab because they are bacteriological tests.
Geoff Patton, acting director of Water and Waste Department, said the same worker took all six of the suspect samples, but what went wrong is still a mystery.
“We’ve evaluated all of our operations systems,” he said. “We’ve evaluated the protocol, the procedures. We spoke to the lab. We spoke to the tester. There is nothing that is showing up as anything that would lead to these issues.”
Businesses and residents were told that tap water was safe for bathing and laundry, but were advised to boil it for at least a minute before drinking it.
READ MORE: What is E. coli? Information about the key in Winnipeg’s water scare
Most coffee shops and restaurants were open, although some menu items were not available. Schools were also open, but some warned students to bring bottled water because the water fountains were closed. It was business as usual at city pools.
Hospitals saw no sign of a spike in illness, and surgeries and other services went on as usual.
Dave Bilyk, a homeowner in south Winnipeg, said his family was coping well and did not feel the need to rush out and buy bottled water.
“We boiled about five or six litres worth and that way we can run it through the Keurig (coffee maker) for coffee in the morning and we can use it for brushing our teeth and so on,” he said Tuesday night.
READ MORE: Winnipeg boil water advisory: What you need to know
Brian Wills said he, his wife and four children were not too worried. He even used a bit of tap water to brush his teeth — something the city advised against. And he was pleasantly surprised to find his favourite coffee shop was still brewing Wednesday morning.
“I often buy my coffee out, so I would hope that they’re doing something with their water to not get (people) sick.”
Brent Neill said he drank a lot of the water just before the advisory was issued.
“I was at the YMCA and drinking water from the water fountain … but I didn’t think too much of it.”
“This morning was the only time I was a little annoyed because Starbucks was closed. That’s the only thing that has affected my day-to-day life and routine.”
Bowman urged residents to heed the precautions, but at the same time remain calm.
“Take a deep breath. Boil the water. Get some bottled water if you can’t boil it, and hopefully (today) we’ll be able to provide you with better news.”
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