Unusual conditions in the North Saskatchewan River are giving Prince Albert’s treated water a slight tint, while aging pipes and recent water-main work may be making the discolouration much darker in parts of the city.
Water Treatment Plant Manager Rinkesh Patil said water leaving the plant has only a minor tint that may be difficult to notice in a glass.
“If people have got a dark colour, or something that’s concerning and it’s literally visible, that’s more to do with some infrastructure and some old piping, especially in the flats of the city,” Patil said.
Patil said the city receives more complaints from downtown and the East Flat, where some underground infrastructure is older. He said complaints are less common in hill areas where much of the piping is newer.
He said the treated water continues to meet standards set by the Water Security Agency. The treatment system includes filtration, ultraviolet disinfection and chlorine, while samples are also collected from the distribution system and sent to the Saskatchewan Research Council laboratory.
The City previously said recent river conditions brought higher levels of naturally occurring organic matter into the treatment process. Patil said some organic material can leave a slight tint even after treatment.
He said the plant has increased the amount of treatment material and chemicals used and staff are monitoring the process closely.
Patil said this year’s river conditions have been unusual. Normally, water quality declines during spring breakup before clearing within a week or two. This year, spring melt was followed by mountain runoff and flooding in Alberta.
“The river never had a chance to settle down,” he said.
Senior Operations Manager Tim Earing said the CIty is aware of the about half a dozen recent complaints, mainly from the East Flat and West Flat.
Earing said the lighter tint is primarily connected to river conditions. However, he said very dark water can also result from sediment disturbed by a water-main break.
The City dealt with a break in the East Flat on Monday night, he said.
“If we have a tint of colour, then I would say it’s from the river,” Earing said. “If the water is quite dark, then I would say yes, that’s due to the water-main break from last evening.”
Earing also confirmed that some water infrastructure in Prince Albert is about 100 years old.
The age of the underground system has also been discussed repeatedly during council meetings and public open houses on the planned Central Avenue reconstruction. City officials have described the downtown rebuild as an infrastructure project that will require upgrades to aging water, sanitary and storm lines beneath Central Avenue before the road and streetscape are rebuilt. Some water and sanitary pipes date to 1900, while sections of the storm system date to 1906.
Patil said water-main breaks can require crews to reroute water through different pipes. The increased flow can disturb material inside the distribution system and contribute to discolouration.
A valve replacement was also completed near Sixth Avenue East and Ninth Street East. Earing said crews flush water lines whenever they work on the system.
A drinking-water advisory issued for the 300 block of Ninth Street East is separate from the broader discolouration issue. Earing said advisories are issued whenever crews open or repair the system because there is a possible risk of contaminants entering the water.
Samples are taken after the work and tested. A second sample is generally collected 24 hours later, and the advisory is lifted once results come back clear.
Residents who receive an advisory must boil water before consuming it until the City provides notice that the advisory has been lifted.
Earing encouraged residents experiencing unusually dark or dirty water to contact the City’s Solutions Hub so crews can investigate and flush the affected area.
The City replaces aging water infrastructure each year based on priorities and the capital funding approved by council, he said.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
