City stumped by possible contamination of hydrants
Substance thought to be hydrocarbon found, marking second incident in 2018
It could be months before an eastside neighbourhood and a Rosewood business can resume using permanent water supplies after possible contamination was discovered in some City of Saskatoon hydrants.
A temporary water line to the Costco Wholesale store was completed late Sunday night and should be operational in a day or two after a substance thought to be a hydrocarbon was discovered late last week.
That marked the second such discovery this year: Some homes in the Aspen Ridge neighbourhood have been pulling their water from above-ground lines since a similar substance was found in January.
It remains unclear, however, how the contaminants — organic compounds that make up crude oil and natural gas — got into the system in what the city’s acting general manager of utilities described as a “groundbreaking ” situation.
“We’re not aware of any similar contamination in Canada, that has occurred during servicing in a new neighbourhood like this — it’s something that is not common in Saskatoon, let alone in Canada.” Angela Gardiner said Monday.
The provincial Water Security Agency (WSA) issued a precautionary drinking water advisory, including an order that water not be used for drinking, cooking or washing, for the Costco store late Friday afternoon.
“Member safety is of utmost importance,” Costco spokesman Ron Damiani said in a statement on Monday. “We are working through this situation. From a Costco member perspective, everything is running normally.”
Five months earlier, a similar order was issued for what the city described as a “small number” of homes in Aspen Ridge, a new subdivision being developed in the city’s northeast corner.
Gardiner said city officials are looking into several possibilities, including whether they were introduced when the water systems were manufactured or installed, but have not confirmed any of them.
“At this point, we haven’t identified any connections (between the two areas). There’s different developers, different landowners, and whatnot — but as part of our investigation we’re looking into all possible theories,” she said.
WSA spokesman Patrick Boyle said Monday while precautionary drinking water advisories are fairly common, he has not seen many involving suspected hydrocarbons during his time with the agency.
Water samples from the line feeding Costco have been sent for expedited testing. The next steps will be determined by what the laboratory finds, and if hydrocarbon contamination is confirmed, Boyle said.
Gardiner, meanwhile, said Costco could be without access to a permanent water supply until the fall, depending on what the laboratory uncovers, and the timeline for Aspen Ridge residents is likely similar.
“Obviously, if our water supply is compromised, it is a concern. Our priority is to make sure that we have a safe water supply for all residents and all users … so the fact that we’re struggling to determine the source of it is concerning.”