The acting medical officer of health in Chatham-Kent is advising the public to have an "indefinite" supply of clean water, such as bottled water, in case of a boil water advisory because predicting how long they will last is impossible and risky.
Chatham-Kent Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai told the CK Board of Health at its monthly meeting on Monday that forecasting the length of time a boil water advisory will last is very difficult because he needs to have two clean water samples within 24-48 hours before he lifts it.
The boil water advisory update on criteria and rules was prompted by CK Councillor and Board of Health member Lauren Anderson, who was pushing for regular updates to give the public a better idea of how long to prepare for.
Dr. Nesathurai said it's wise to plan ahead to have an ample supply of clean water to drink because he's unable to give a deadline for the end of an advisory and it's more difficult to call back a rescinded boil water advisory.
"Plan indefinitely until you hear otherwise," Nesathurai said.
Nesathurai said his top priority is to make sure the public doesn't drink bad or poisoned water and will only call off an advisory when it's safe to drink the water.
"If there's any question about the quality of water, we always act cautiously with a boil water advisory," said the doctor.
The boil water advisory for Dover Township issued on March 11 due to a loss in water pressure through the distribution system only lasted a couple of days.
CK Public Health previously told CK News Today that the incident that sparked the boil water advisory took place at around 8 p.m. on Monday night and the advisory was issued just after midnight on Tuesday.
Acting Director of CK Public Health Carina Caryn told the board that the health unit follows drinking water quality standards under the Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act and works closely with the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission, which is responsible for monitoring and testing the water system.
Caryn noted many reasons for issuing boil water advisories, including an outbreak of illness related to drinking water, a water main break, evidence the water is not properly treated, or in the case of the Dover Township advisory, a loss of pressure in the water system.
Boil water advisories are delivered to the public through media releases and the new CK Alert notification system.
Updates are also available through the Water Advisory Update Line at 519-436-3250.
The water system is sampled weekly by the CK Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and sent to a third party, accredited laboratory. Adverse water sample results are reported to CK Public Health and it provides direction to the PUC on corrective actions. When there is a potential risk to the public, CK Public Health issues advisories when appropriate.
For small water advisories such as a water main break where the affected area can be isolated, notices are delivered door to door to the affected users.