WAWA — The Municipality of Wawa and Algoma Health unit issued an advisory on Tuesday about a water incident that occurred at their water treatment plant. This incident resulted in elevated chlorine levels throughout the distribution system.
The Municipality in collaboration with Algoma Health Unit, is advising users that due to the elevated chlorine levels, the water may smell or taste different. They also informed residents that at this time a health hazard does not exist and that the water is still safe for drinking and bathing.
They assured residents that they are “working diligently to decrease chlorine levels to ensure they return to levels in which smell and taste will no longer be an issue.” The Municipality and the Health Unit offered a systematic list offering information and guidelines, on chlorine disinfectant and simple actions residents can take to help reduce chlorine levels in their tap water. That list of information and guidelines included:
What is chlorine?
Chlorine is the most commonly used disinfectant added to drinking water to reduce or eliminate disease causing germs such as bacteria and viruses which can be present in water supplies.
What are we doing to resolve the problem? The municipality shared what they are doing to resolve the problem. They are:
- Monitoring the chlorine levels in the system.
- Flushing water from the distribution system as needed.
- Notifying the community promptly if they notice the chlorine levels do reach a level posing risk to health, which is not expected at this time.
What can you do to remove chlorine from the drinking water? Residents were given the following guidelines in order to do this:
- Fill a jug of water in the morning and let it sit in the open air or the refrigerator. Chlorine will evaporate in the open air. Drink throughout the day.
- Consider boiling the water and let it cook to aid in chlorine evaporation. Drink throughout the day.
- Run water through a filter with activate charcoal, example a Brita filter.
- Flush your taps
What can you do while bathing and showering?
- Reduce the total time showering/bathing to avoid irritation
- Minimize direct contact with eyes
The Municipality also indicated that the entire community of Wawa including Michipicoten River Village is serviced by the community water system and is affected by this incident.
As more information becomes available, the Municipality will update residents accordingly. For more information, residents can contact the Municipal Office at: (705)-856-2244 ext. 251
