People living in Prince Rupert, B.C., have been advised to boil their water, in the wake of “multiple breaks in watermains” on Tuesday.
The city issued the advisory Wednesday, on the advice of Northern Health.
It said the notice would remain in effect while it conducted critical repairs, and that residents would be notified as soon as it was lifted.
The city said the watermain breaks included a valving break next to its reservoir. Water has been restored to homes on 11th Avenue East, Hays Cove Avenue and 7th Avenue East and Crestview.
Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said the break next to the reservoir was of particular concern, and “enormous amounts of water began to gush out,” flooding some areas of the city.
He said “crews working like crazy” put in a “heroic effort” overnight to keep the city’s water system stable.
But he said Prince Rupert has already experienced 22 watermain breaks this year alone, and that its water system is in critical need of repairs.
“If we lose water in the reservoir, the fear is that our pipes, which are in a lot of cases 110 years old and very, very weak, will actually experience a vacuum and cavitate, collapsing on themselves across kilometres of the city,” he said.
“We would be in a position where we would just be unable, even if we refill the reservoir, unable to deliver water to large parts of the city or perhaps even the entire city.”
Under the boil water notice, people should heat any water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, washing vegetables or making ice to a rapid boil for at least one minute before consuming it.
Water used to wash clothes or to bathe is safe to use without boiling, the city said.
The city has also asked owners of public facilities to post boil water notices at any sinks or water fountains, or to turn the water off.
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