The City of Saskatoon says it is on track to get the taps flowing again in the Aspen Ridge neighbourhood.
A portion of the new development in northeast Saskatoon has been under a “Do Not Use” notice since Jan. 10, after seven fire hydrants tested positive for hydrocarbons. The notice affects 19 homes, 10 of which are currently occupied. Those residents have been advised not to drink the tap water or use it to bathe.
The city says the installation of temporary lines should be finished by early next week. The short-term fix is costing the city about $50,000.
“Our water testing hasn’t identified any detectable levels of hydrocarbons in the water supply,” says Angela Gardiner, acting general manager of transportation and utilities for the city. “But it’s a requirement from the Water Security Agency that the ‘Do Not Use’ order is in place until the contamination is rectified.”
City officials say they don’t have a timeline on a permanent fix, as this is a rare situation they have never dealt with before.
“From the hydrocarbon perspective, no, this is something that’s never been seen in Saskatoon and it’s very uncommon in the industry,” says Gardiner. “We haven’t seen any kind of — or heard of any — contaminations like this through our investigations.”
The city doesn’t yet have a timeline on when this issue will be permanently fixed. In the meantime, it continues to provide affected residents with bottled water.
