Saint John Water officials say residents living east of the Reversing Falls Bridge will have to wait until Sunday evening at the earliest before a boil water order is lifted.
READ MORE: Boil order in effect for most Saint John Municipal Water users
A boil order was issued Thursday following heavy rains and high winds this week which led to increased turbidity, or cloudiness, in the water supply.
Saint John Water gave an update Friday afternoon and said turbidity levels in the water source have returned to normal so samples can now be taken in an effort to get the boil order lifted as early as Sunday evening.
“I would stress that that’s the earliest and it could possibly go into Monday and Tuesday as well depending on the results of all the samples we collect,” said Saint John Water commissioner Brent McGovern.
READ MORE: Boil water order issued in Saint John
Residents and businesses have had to deal with a boil order twice this year.
Karen McInnis owns K’s Cafe in east Saint John. She said she and her customers have learned to take it in stride.
“You know you come in and you just boil a lot of water and get everything ready, away you go,” McInnis said. “There’s nothing you can do”.
Although she’s never calculated how much, these boil orders cost McInnis money in the form of buying bottled water.
“I got 48 this morning and we’ll probably go back and get more,” she said.
It’s a different situation Little Johns Variety. Bottled water is leaving here at a much quicker pace.
“When the city puts a boil order in place our sales increase by I’d say double, especially the 18.9 litres,” owner Robin Lawrence said.
Meantime Saint John Water says turbidity levels in the water source have returned to normal so samples can now be taken in an effort to get the boil order lifted as early as Sunday evening.
“I would stress that that’s the earliest and it could possibly go into Monday and Tuesday as well depending on the results of all the samples we collect,” McGovern said.
Until further notice, if people wish to use tap water instead of bottled, it should be brought to a rolling boil for at least a minute for doing things like drinking and brushing your teeth.