Following two days of a precautionary boil water advisory, final testing proved that there is nothing wrong with Winnipeg’s water. Winnipeggers should be confident with the quality of the city’s public water system.
“We are very proud of our public water in Winnipeg,” said Gord Delbridge, Vice-President of CUPE Local 500. “It is one of the best systems in the country, and recent events prove how seriously the City takes the monitoring and testing of our municipal drinking water.”
The City announced a city-wide precautionary boil water advisory on the evening of January 27th which was lifted on the afternoon of the 29th. Water samples are collected and tested every day in Winnipeg from locations across the city, making it among the highest-tested water supplies in the world.
Following a series of re-tests on the water samples, results were announced that the initial tests were false-positives on the presence of any harmful bacteria – meaning that there is no problem with Winnipeg’s water.
“We are thankful that these tests proved that our water is clean and healthy, but we are also not surprised,” said Delbridge. “We know how vigorously our water is tested, and we are confident in our ability to ensure that our water is clean, safe, and is an excellent service to Winnipeggers.”
While this may be the first time many Winnipeggers have experienced a precautionary boil water advisory, it is important to note that over 90 Aboriginal communities across Canada are under boil water advisories every day, including Shoal Lake First Nation from which Winnipeg’s water supply originates.
“Winnipeggers know the value of having clean potable water,” said Delbridge. “These recent events should serve as a reminder that far too many Canadians live under boil water advisories every day, and this should be cause for us to take greater action in support of these communities.”
CUPE Local 500 represents approximately 5,000 employees of the City of Winnipeg, including Water and Wastewater services.
