Boil-water advisory enters second day in Halifax area; 145 medical procedures affected

A sign for the JD Kline (Pockwock) Lake Water Treatment Facility is pictured. (Carl/Pomeroy/CTV Atlantic)

A boil-water advisory affecting more than 200,000 people in the Halifax area remains in effect Wednesday – and it’s impacting medical procedures.

The advisory was first issued early Tuesday morning following a power interruption at the JD Kline (Pockwock) Lake Water Treatment Facility Monday night.

Halifax Water says the issue stemmed from a planned power outage in the Hammonds Plains area. During the outage, the backup system kicked in, but the facility experienced an electrical failure and a fuse was blown.

The utility says the blown fuse impacted the chlorination process, which meant unchlorinated water entered the water system for about 30 minutes.

Halifax Water said it wasn’t directly notified about the planned outage. Nova Scotia Power said it issued calls to customers in the area Monday and shared information on its social media channels about the planned outage in order to fix a piece of equipment in need of urgent repair ahead of the cold weather.

Beaver Bank, Middle and Lower Sackville, Upper Hammonds Plains, Bedford, Fall River, Halifax, Timberlea, Spryfield and Herring Cove remain under the advisory.

Halifax Water says impacted customers should boil their water for at least one minute before:

• drinking
• preparing infant formula
• making ice cubes or juices
• washing fruits or vegetables
• cooking
• brushing teeth
• any other activity requiring human consumption

Dozens of schools and businesses are impacted by the advisory. The Halifax Regional Centre for Education has brought in water bottles for students and is also encouraging them to bring their own water bottles from home.

Halifax Water said Wednesday morning it continues to work with Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change to determine when the advisory can be lifted.

Medical procedures affected

Nova Scotia Health said it has also impacted roughly 145 procedures at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax and other sites.

“Procedures involving patients in the urgent/high risk categories have, or will, go ahead,” the authority said in an email to CTV Atlantic.

“Healthcare staff are doing their very best to reduce any inconveniences.”

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