Province Tells La Ronge To Boil Water

Province Tells La Ronge To Boil Water

Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 17:16

 

 

A precautionary drinking water advisory for La Ronge may be a hassle for residents, but it should not be a cause for alarm.

 

That’s the word from both environment and health officials on the precautionary drinking water advisory issued just before noon Tuesday.

 

Jason Tokarchuk is an environmental project officer with the Saskatchewan government.

 

He says staff at La Ronge’s water treatment plant were wisely cautious when their tests showed increased levels of turbidity — which is a sign that solid particles are not being filtered out properly.

 

However, it’s not a sign that the workers are not doing their jobs correctly.

 

Meanwhile, the North’s chief medical health officer says that the advisory is simply a means of ensuring that people aren’t using water that hasn’t met all provincial regulations.

 

Dr. James Irvine says health officials monitor La Ronge’s water regularly, and they have found no evidence of harmful bacteria in the Town’s system.

 

However, residents should still follow the advisory’s guidelines, such as boiling all drinking water for at least a minute, and sponge bathing babies who might swallow bath water.

 

The advisory could be in place for as long as a week.