Busby residents were forced to use bottled water for any purpose other than relieving themselves after the hamlet was put under a boil-water advisory that ran from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29.
Busby residents were forced to use bottled water for any purpose other than relieving themselves after the hamlet was put under a boil-water advisory that ran from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29.
On that day, a contractor hit a sewer line in the hamlet and broke it, said county finance and administration manager Peggy Hardinge. As a result of the break, some grey water seeped into the hamlet's reservoir, contaminating the water supply and rendering it unusable.
County crews were notified of the contamination via an alarm at the reservoir, allowing them to inform residents that the water was unsafe shortly after the leak was detected.
County reeve Charles Navratil said it was a good thing the alarm system was in place. Even though it is a fairly big cost to have the system, he said when something like this happens, the cost is well worth it.
By Oct. 25, the break in the sewer line had been repaired, Hardinge said, and county workers were busy super chlorinating the reservoir to eliminate any pollutants.
Staff were also flushing the hamlet's pipes to remove the dirty water that was just sitting there.
Residents were also asked to run their taps regularly to flush their systems. This includes their hot water heaters, as the water normally would sit in the tank until it's needed.
"We don't want them drinking it, but they can use it to flush through their water systems at home," Hardinge said.
On Monday, Oct. 29, the county, after receiving approval from Alberta Health Services, lifted the boil-water advisory.
"Our main priority is the safety of the residents and providing them with drinkable water," she said before the advisory was lifted. "That is our main concern and we're working to achieve that quickly."
Bottled water was made available at the Busby Community Hall for the duration of the advisory. Residents could pick up 18.9-litre bottles from 8-10 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. each day until the advisory was lifted. Empty bottles can now be returned to the Busy Bee Mart.
For residents who could not get to the hall, or who can't handle the heavy bottles, the volunteer fire department was delivering full bottles and removing empty ones.
On Oct. 26, Heather Stitsen was working the bottle dispensary and said it's usually the evenings when most people were picking up their water.
Kevin Sehn came by to drop off a bottle and pick up a new one. He said the advisory isn't the greatest thing to have happen, but it's something that happens.
"It's not a good experience, but you've got to live with it," he said. "One good thing is that they let us know fast enough and not too long after it happened."
Hardinge said getting the hamlet through the experience with the least amount of problems has been a team effort.
"We're very appreciative of our volunteer firefighters and our county staff that have put the effort in to distribute the water ... and their extra time in resolving this issue," she said.
