Residents in the northern Alberta hamlet of Janvier have no water supply, after a “mix of chemicals” was transferred to the area’s water plant on Friday morning.
According to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the incident happened at around 10 a.m., and shortly after the Janvier Water Treatment Plant stopped water distribution as officials investigated what had happened.
About 155 people live in the area of Janvier. Residents of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation were also affected.
At 4:30 p.m. Friday, Alberta Health Services issued a “do not consume” water advisory for the hamlet as a precautionary measure.
Officials said that a total of 107 houses had their water lines disrupted. Residents who have homes with holding tanks for their water are still able to use their supply.
The municipality is providing bottled water and jugs for those impacted, with help from RCMP. A bulk water truck is also being brought in to help service buildings in the community.
A communications representative from Janvier told Global News that they were told Saturday that the earliest the water issue is expected to be resolved is Wednesday and it’s possible the issue could be ongoing for up to 10 days.
Hamlet officials are also working to hand-deliver water to some residents.
AHS Environmental Public Health officers will continue to monitor the situation, including sampling and testing of the drinking water.
Janvier is about 120 kiometres south of Fort McMurray.