Whitewater Region Mayor, Neil Nicholson, took to social media to inform locals on the situation on Friday, Jan. 23. | Photo Credit: Township of Whitewater Region
Last Friday at around 3 a.m., the village of Cobden lost water pressure for all of its users.
Whitewater Region Mayor, Neil Nicholson, said the water system was being worked on moments before the drop in pressure.
Nicholson was notified about three hours later and was immediately within contact of township staff and public works.
He said the loss of pressure impacted about 500 properties, saying the impact was truly felt on an individual level.
Public Works were deployed to inform Cobden residents about the break, while the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) carried out repairs.
Pressure returned to the system about 12 hours later, at around 3 p.m. on Friday.
However, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) says any time water pressure is lost completely, that community will be placed on a boil-water advisory until a lab certifies two clean water tests from that system.
Due to the break not being repaired until Friday afternoon, getting a sample analyzed before the weekend was impossible.
After a weekend of waiting, the lab results came out clean, Cobden’s water is not contaminated.
The RCDHU and Township of Whitewater region officially lifted the advisory shortly before 2 p.m. today (Jan. 26), three days after the advisory was put in place.
Nicholson said while the situation was a challenge for Cobden residents and those living in the surround area, he is happy it’s done and over with.
The work isn’t done just yet.
RCDHU has some recommendations for Cobden residents to ensure their tap water is clean as can be after flushing the system:
- Run cold water faucets for 1 minute
- Run drinking fountains for 1 minute
- Discard ice for eating or drinking that was made with water during the boil water advisory
- Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle
- Drain and refill hot water heaters set below 45 C.
(Written by Mik Horvath)