The Town of Drumheller is still seeking clarity as issues of tinted water continued last week to show up in pockets throughout the Town of Drumheller.
Last week The Mail reported the Town was having issues with potassium permanganate, a chemical typically used in the treatment of water, tinting area supply with a brown colour. Efforts to rectify this caused more sediment in lines to be stirred up, causing more clarity issues. Complaints of tinted water continued this week and town crews have responded to these calls.
The town issued a release on June 25 to "reassure the public that the water being produced at the water treatment plant is in accordance with the approval granted by Alberta Environment.”
While the release stated at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24 the majority of town concerns had been addressed through the flushing programs, the town also opted to undergo independent testing hoping they “may be useful in determining the cause of the problem and further actions that may be required to minimize the reoccurrence of water clarity concerns.”
Crews took samples at random locations throughout the distribution system and submitted them to a qualified lab, stated the release. On Friday, a release stated the independent tests, which included bacteriological and chemical sampling, confirmed the water is safe. It did not state whether the information helped them determine the cause of the problem.
Michael Roy, director of corporate service at the Town of Drumheller said there is nothing firm on the cause of the problems, however he says the issue of potassium permanganate seems to have been cleared up.
“Basically we were letting people know that what was in the system was safe," said Roy.
In a written statement, Town of Drumheller CAO Ray Romanetz said, “We are pleased the lab results confirmed that the water is safe. The Town is continuing to investigate contributing factors of recent events with a primary goal being the identification of measures to be taken to minimize future occurrences.”
