Slow fix to water woes in Halbrite, citizens say

A row has erupted in the town of Halbrite, near Weyburn, where locals say not enough is being done to clear up a precautionary water notice that has been in place since May 26.

The Water Security Agency (WSA) first placed the village under a Precautionary Drinking Water Advisory after levels of turbidity were found to be outside of permissible levels. Turbidity is the measure of a liquid’s clarity, and can be affected by a range of inorganic and organic matter, like algae. Among other things, the advisory recommends boiling water before drinking it, washing your teeth or cleaning fruit and vegetables.

However, despite the efforts of contractors hired to bring the matter under control, the village council — consisting of three members including Mayor Dwayne Carlson — has not been able to get to the bottom of what the WSA says is an “undetermined source of contamination.”

For locals, the issue has been going on far too long. Resident Katrina Muenzberger says she pays around $100 per month for services, including water that she refuses to give to her animals.

“I think there’s more damage to be done (from) town water than from sipping out of a puddle,” she said. “Sometimes it’s bright pink. You can really get a smell of chlorine, and it sticks to your skin. I don’t even like watering my plants with it.”

Patrick Boyle of the WSA said Halbrite must meet certain conditions before the notice can be lifted.

“It appeared like they were making some progress in the last little while, and then we saw the levels go back up again,” he said.

The village had been using the operational services of SaskWater, but that agreement was ended in July of 2015. Since then two independent contractors have been used, but neither has been able to solve the latest issues, with the first contractor recently leaving their post, according to the council.

Asked whether there had been a conflict with SaskWater, Carlson said the parting was “a mutual agreement.”

“They really didn’t want to work with us any more, and quite frankly their prices were getting so high, we couldn’t afford them anyways,” he said.

Contacted on the matter, SaskWater representatives agreed that cost had become an issue, as had the community’s desire to find a service closer to home.

Carlson said efforts are ongoing to remedy the problem with the town’s aging water system.

“We’ve been close to getting off (the notice) for a very long time, but little things keep going wrong,” he said, mentioning problems with chemical pumps and filters. “It’s just one thing after another.”

“Ultimately the responsibility for this lies within the Village of Halbrite,” Boyle said. “These issues are theirs, as they are the owners of the water works. Until they can bring their levels up and solve that issue, and be within their permit to operate, the PDWA will remain in place.”

For Muenzberger, however, things aren’t moving quickly enough, and local authorities aren’t communicating well enough.

“Why are we paying more money if we can’t even drink our water?” she asked. “Peace of mind that the water’s safe … I don’t think that’s a lot to ask for.”

Why are we paying more money if we can’t even drink our water? Peace of mind that the water’s safe … I don’t think that’s a lot to ask for.