Editor's Note:
A March 14 press release from the Town of Saugeen Shores stated that at no time was municipal water not treated nor tested within the distribution system.
"The town works closely with Ontario Clean Water Agency and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to ensure our water supply is always safe," said Mayor Mike Smith in the news release.
The low levels of chlorine were a result of a lack of water flow through the pipes at the MacGregor Park location and the Town of Saugeen Shores continued to meet minimal chlorine levels as set out by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and tested at the primary source.
Hub Staff
An inspection rating of 89 percent (89.95%) is unacceptable when it comes to our drinking water, said Saugeen Shores Councillor Neil Menage during the March 13 Committee of the Whole, when an Information Report detailing the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) annual assessment was presented.
There were many factors in receiving the 89 percent rating which in the past has been hovering near the 100 percent mark, and one such factor involves an event on November 10, 2016.
According to the report, the free chlorine residual was recorded at 0 mg/L at the MacGregor Park facility, a re-chlorination facility within the Port Elgin distribution system, which resulted in the OCWA, the operating authority, to be called in. The operator surveyed the facility and observed that the valve to the main line for the facility was completely closed. The operator restored flow to the line and observed a chlorine residual of 0.8 mg/L. After further investigation it was determined that a MacGregor Park employee had shut the valve due to a water leak.
“We lost control of chlorine to the public, in fact there was no chlorine, so that is right along the lines of the other incidences that you’ve heard about in recent years. And if everything else had fallen into place we could have had a major incident,” said Menage previously having referred to the incident in Walkerton in 2000 and the ongoing issues in Flint, Michigan.
During the dialogue between councillors concerning the report, former Bruce Power employee and Vice President of The Society of Energy Professionals, Councillor Dave Myette brought up position assured components at the nuclear facility, which requires certain equipment to only be touched by individuals with the clearances to possess a key. And that in the future water systems can not just be touched by just anyone, like the occurrence at MacGregor Park.
In August of 2016 a Drinking Water System Inspection was performed by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC). Their report raised seven non-compliance issues overall. The report can be viewed in person at the front desk at the municipal office and is also expected to be made available online.
Non-Compliance issues listed in the Drinking Water Summary included:
1: Operators were not examining continuous monitoring test results or they were not examining the results within 72 hours of the test.
2: Logbooks were not properly maintained and/or did not contain the required information.
3: Logs or other record keeping mechanisms were not available for at least five years.
4: All operators did not possess the required certification. An Operator’s Water Treatment Class 3 license expired on June 30, 2015 and was sent a denial letter from the Ontario Water Wastewater Certification Office (OWWCO) on October 21, 2015. The operator continued to operate in the Saugeen Shores water system until August 3, 2016.
5: Adjustments to the treatment equipment were not made only by certified operators.
6: All sampling requirements for lead prescribed by schedule 15.1 of O. Reg. 170/03 were not met.
7: Where required continuous monitoring equipment, used for the monitoring of chlorine residual and/or turbidity triggered an alarm or an automatic shut-off, a qualified person did not respond in a timely manner and/or did not take appropriate actions.
Representatives for OCWA were present at the meeting but did not have an opportunity to speak to council. Mayor Mike Smith requested the OCWA attend an upcoming meeting to clarify the situation and create a transparent dialogue.
Menage said that the OCWA “has an opportunity to tell us what they're going to do, that’s going to improve it to a higher percentage, 98 percent heading towards 100. These seven things that they listed, those are easy things to correct, those are management things to correct.” Menage went onto say that he believed staffing changes had occurred as a result of these events.
