Montreal residents say they can’t go on boiling water in DDO and Pierrefonds much longer

It has now been eight days since the city first announced the boil-water advisory for Dollard-des-Ormeaux (DDO) and Pierrefonds.

Both areas are asking residents to not use tap water without bringing it to a full boil for at least one minute. This includes drinking, cooking, making ice, giving water to pets and brushing teeth.

All other uses, like bathing and washing clothes are safe, according to a statement issued by the city. Residents are struggling to keep their water clean for their families, pets and businesses. They say it’s a very time-consuming process.

Restaurants are also taking extra time to make sure they follow the regulations required by the city.

“I really don’t know what’s going on about the water and what’s the cost of it. We hope it will be done as soon as possible because it’s quite a job for us” said Rebecca, a local Pierrefonds restaurant owner.

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The city refused to comment but sent forward this statement below:

Our priority is to ensure the public health of all Montrealers. This is why the City of Montreal has issued a boil water advisory and it will remain in effect as long as the risk of proven or potential deterioration of water quality is not completely eliminated. It is our responsibility.

As part of the work to modernize the Dollard-des-Ormeaux reservoir, including its sealing, the removal of part of the earth from the reservoir combined with the heavy rains at the beginning of last week would have favoured the infiltration of the reservoir. A contaminant through an invisible crack in the tank.

Since the detection of the contaminant at the outlet of the tank, we have carried out several actions, in particular:

Work to plug the area likely to have caused the infiltration

Work to protect the reservoir from any infiltrations

Adjustments to the disinfection process of the distributed water

We found the source of the contamination and took action to resolve the issue. We are currently taking action to eliminate contaminants from the drinking water distribution system. In addition, we carried out more than 280 water samples in one week, which is as much as what we usually do in a few months for this same sector, in order to ensure the quality of the drinking water.

Remember that we must obtain two consecutive days of laboratory results demonstrating the return of water quality for all the samples taken each day before lifting the boil water advisory and confirming the return to normal. Currently, we are analyzing the results of more than 50 samples. When we are satisfied that the water quality is restored, we will lift the notice.

We understand that the boil water advisory has been in effect for several days now. We are all mobilized and we are doing everything we can to raise the opinion as quickly as possible. We thank the population for their collaboration and understanding in this matter.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: Our priority is to ensure the public health of all Montrealers. This is why the City of Montreal has issued a boil water advisory and it will remain in effect as long as the risk of proven or potential deterioration of water quality is not completely eliminated. It is our responsibility.</p><p>As part of the work to modernize the Dollard-des-Ormeaux reservoir, including its sealing, the removal of part of the earth from the reservoir combined with the heavy rains at the beginning of last week would have favoured the infiltration of the reservoir. A contaminant through an invisible crack in the tank.</p><p>Since the detection of the contaminant at the outlet of the tank, we have carried out several actions, in particular:</p><p>Work to plug the area likely to have caused the infiltration</p><p>Work to protect the reservoir from any infiltrations</p><p>Adjustments to the disinfection process of the distributed water</p><p>We found the source of the contamination and took action to resolve the issue. We are currently taking action to eliminate contaminants from the drinking water distribution system. In addition, we carried out more than 280 water samples in one week, which is as much as what we usually do in a few months for this same sector, in order to ensure the quality of the drinking water.</p><p>Remember that we must obtain two consecutive days of laboratory results demonstrating the return of water quality for all the samples taken each day before lifting the boil water advisory and confirming the return to normal. Currently, we are analyzing the results of more than 50 samples. When we are satisfied that the water quality is restored, we will lift the notice.</p><p>We understand that the boil water advisory has been in effect for several days now. We are all mobilized and we are doing everything we can to raise the opinion as quickly as possible. We thank the population for their collaboration and understanding in this matter.