ESTEVAN - The City of Estevan encountered an issue with the water supply in late July and early August, forcing the municipality to issue a news release Aug. 3 that said the water was safe to use.
The city's water source is Rafferty Dam, and increased runoff and the recent warmer temperatures caused a distinct smell and taste in the water.
“Rafferty Dam collects a lot of water upstream from other communities and things like that, and all of the runoff and extra stuff in the water finally made its way to us,” said Shane Bucsis, the city’s manager of the water and wastewater treatment plants. “Then with the high heat, it caused an algae bloom.”
The city could tell when the water was coming through the plant that there was a different odour. This does happen from time to time, but often residents won’t notice.
“By the time it mixes with the rest of the distribution water, most times those odours dissipate,” said Bucsis.
The city said it performed testing with no issues. Third party testing has also been completed and showed the water is safe to consume and use as per usual. Third-party testing occurs once a week.
Bucsis said the city has received a lot of phone calls and the testing was ramped up, both internally and by the third party.
“Anytime we do have a slight issue or there could be a chance of an issue, we do increased testing to ensure it’s safe for consumption,” said Bucsis.
Rafferty Dam has been the city’s primary water source since August 2020, and this is the first time they’ve encountered this issue to this degree. Bucsis isn’t sure if this issue will resurface at some point.
“Most times, with raw water sources, you have more of a historical trend. In terms of water treatment or use, it’s still a fairly new water source for the city. It’s a much better water source than Boundary Dam, but there’s learning with it.”
If this becomes more frequent, Bucsis said he would look to address the problem.
“Generally it’s people who are more sensitive to taste and odours, or have better smell than other people, that are the people who noticed it sooner.”
Some people he has talked to noticed huge improvements late last week, and he hopes the issue will be resolved this week.
