Boil water advisory in Stony Plain to end noon Monday after second water main break

UPDATE: Aug. 22, 11:15 a.m. The town said the boil water advisory in Stony Plain will be over Monday at noon.

UPDATE: Aug. 21, 3 p.m. On Sunday morning, the Town of Stony Plain said water had been fully restored after a water main break, the second one the town had experienced in two days. However, a boil water advisory remained in effect until further notice until the water can be properly tested to ensure it is safe.

Stony Plain residents have been put under a boil water advisory following a water main break Friday morning.

A major water main break happened at the construction site at 44 Avenue and 49 Street around 9 a.m.

To fix and isolate the damage, the town was forced to shut off the main municipal water supply at 3 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday night, a spokesperson for the town said a second pipe had burst around 6:30 p.m. in the same area.

It’s believed the second rupture was due to water pressure issues.

The second break has been isolated and it’s believed only about 10 per cent of residents have been affected.

The spokesperson said Saturday evening the problem should be resolved some time Saturday night.

When the taps ran dry at Homesteader’s Kitchen, Chef Kevin Waddell thought it was just his restaurant. But when he ran to check neighbouring buildings, he realised the water-main break impacted all 15,000 residents of Stony Plain.

He was in the middle of preparing food for a busy weekend – but no water meant no cooking.

“I had a full head of hair yesterday – now I don’t have any,” he joked.

He said water is his most valuable resource.

“It’s critical. You have to have it. It’s probably the most important ingredient in any kitchen, in any restaurant, in any menu item.”

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Waddell sent his staff home and hoped the morning would bring better news.

“It’s something that Albertans, Canadians, we take for granted – clean water. Basically you cannot operate a commercial kitchen without clean water for sanitation reasons.”

Meanwhile, Rebecca Still at the Multicultural Heritage Centre started working on an emergency plan – should the water not come back quick enough.

“We’ve got Corn-fest going on, we’ve got our regular lunch going on and we’re starting our first evening dinner tonight,” she said. “Are we going to have to bring in a water truck? Are we going to have to bring in porta-potties? Because we won’t have washrooms.”

The water was originally expected to be turned back on by 5 p.m., but late Friday night the town’s website stated that the water should be restored by Saturday morning.

The issue was finding a clamp big enough to stop the flow of water from the ruptured pipe.

The inconvenience was evident.

“When the water goes off it’s not just that you can’t go get a drink,” Still said. “Now you can’t use your toilet. You can’t wash your hands. You can’t cook or prepare anything.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When the water goes off it's not just that you can't go get a drink," Still said. "Now you can't use your toilet. You can't wash your hands. You can't cook or prepare anything."

On Saturday morning, the Alberta government dropped an emergency alert issued over the water concern and the town’s website said water services had been restored to the Town of Stony Plain.

However, a boil water advisory remains in effect until the water -which still may be unsafe to drink or use – can be tested.

She sent a staff member in search of bottled water – but worried it was a futile task. Even the local Co-op was sold out.

“I don’t think there’s any water to be found right now!” she laughed.

But at least one place in town did still have plenty of water Saturday – Joffre’s Water.

“We always maintain 1,000 gallons of pure, fresh water on hand at all times,” said operations manager Dave Darby. “Even though the city can’t supply us with water, we’ve already pre-made it.”

That stored supply meant big business for the water vendor.

“It was pretty crazy! We went through a few hundred jugs of water,” Darby said. “The parking lot was jammed. People were lined up out the door.”

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Every customer was after the same thing – drinking water.

“All the people that were coming here last night were new people, that’ve never been here before. They’re used to just drinking the water out of the tap.”

But when that wasn’t an option, they made do. Just like the Waddell and Still.

“Now we’ve got a lot of people that are here on the grounds today and our horse and wagon tours are full – so it’s turning out to be alright,” she said.

“Until it’s gone, you don’t realize how much you take it for granted.”

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The boil water advisory is expected to be in place until noon on Monday, Aug. 22.

In order to kill germs and make water safe for things like drinking, bathing and brushing teeth, residents are advised to bring the water to a rolling boil for at least one minute.

For more information on what to do during a boil water advisory, visit Alberta Health Service’s website.

With files from Caley Ramsay, Global News.