Public Health Sudbury issues boil water advisory after positive tests
Public health sudbury issued a boil water advisory for residents in Sudbury, New Sudbury and Falconbridge after coliform bacteria were found in the public water supply. Residents were told to bring tap water to a roiling boil for at least a minute before drinking it or to use bottled water.
The advisory came after routine bacteria tests on Wednesday came back positive at the David Street Water Treatment Plant and the Falconbridge Water Treatment Plant. Burgess Hawkins said it was in place as a precaution, and public health said it would stay in effect until testing showed the water supply was safe.
David Street and Falconbridge
Dr. Emily Groot, an associate medical officer with Public Health Sudbury & Districts, said the two positive results from two different treatment plants made the finding unusual. “It’s very unusual that we would have similar results like this from two totally different treatment plants,” she said.
She also said, “Most coliform bacteria are not “harmful in and of themselves,”” while explaining why the advisory was issued before any illness was reported. Officials did not believe anyone who had consumed water from the municipal system would experience negative health effects, and no residents had gone to a hospital with symptoms consistent with drinking contaminated water.
Boil Water Advisory Steps
Public Health Sudbury & Districts told residents to boil tap water for at least a minute before consuming it or to use bottled water. The advisory covers a large swath of the Greater Sudbury population, but health officials said advisories are usually smaller in scope when they happen.
Officials were also looking into whether there was no contamination and the tests produced a false positive. News of the advisory led to grocery store runs for bottled water, as residents adjusted to the precaution while the source of the positive tests was being checked.
Friday Evening Testing
The earliest the advisory could end was Friday evening, if two consecutive water tests taken 24 hours apart came back with no signs of contamination. Until then, the notice remained in place for Sudbury, New Sudbury and Falconbridge, with the result of the follow-up tests deciding whether the restriction could be lifted.
