Boil water advisory lifted for 3 Calgary communities: AHS

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect changes in the boil water advisory.

A boil water advisory has been lifted for the Calgary neighbourhoods of Silverado, Yorkville and Belmont.

In a news release on Sunday, Alberta Health Services confirmed satisfactory water quality for all three neighbourhoods.

The City of Calgary said in a release Friday that the boil water advisory is just a precautionary measure following a watermain break Thursday afternoon that cut off water flow to a large portion of these communities. Water has been restored to most of the 3,600 homes and 45 businesses.

“We were able to restore water to the affected communities early Friday morning. The Boil Water Advisory has been issued out of an abundance of caution,” said Chris Huston, acting director for water services.

All affected people and businesses are advised to boil all water for one full minute that will be consumed, such as when drinking, brushing teeth, cleaning raw foods, making ice, and preparing juice, coffee or infant formula.

The media release confirmed that the water used for washing clothes and bathing or showering does not need to be boiled.

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Residents may choose to consume bottled water until the advisory is no longer in effect.

Huston told reporters there was work going on in the area and the watermain was “impacted.”

“I don’t know the information around exactly what happened to the water main, only that the water main was ruptured,” Huston said.

“When infrastructure is hit, we do an investigation. We don’t have that investigation completed yet.”

The city said Friday it is working closely with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas as well as Alberta Health Services to resolve all water quality concerns.

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AHS medical officer of health Dr. Franco Rizzuti said the risk of contamination in a potable water line was the reason for the boil water advisory.

“What this might mean for someone who consumes this water – (if) they didn’t know about the boil water advisory they consume it – they might have gastrointestinal symptoms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, upset stomach. We would ask folks to watch for these symptoms,” Rizzuti said.

The medical officer of health also advised homes in the three neighbourhoods to open water taps for five to 10 minutes, to flush the lines.

“So, as you’re turning on water, do let any of that air in the line — maybe you might notice some colour changes – let that all flush through.”

For any health-related questions regarding the boil water advisory, contact Healthlink at 811 or visit the how to use water safely website.

–With files from Paula Tran, Global News.