Rainy River still under a Boil Water Advisory

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Rainy River residents were put under a Boil Water Advisory Friday afternoon and should continue to boil their water for the immediate future.
In a media release from the Northwestern Health Unit Friday the reason given for the advisory was “Due to inadequate treatment (of the water).”
NWHU Director of Environmental Health Bill Limerick told the Record Monday morning that the issue at the Rainy River Water Treatment Plant has to do with “High turbidity levels.” When those levels are too high the danger of parasites like Cryptosporidium and other bugs can get through the treatment process and ultimately end up coming out of people’s taps.
If consumed Cryptosporidium can cause gastrointestinal illness in humans with symptoms that include cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. Limerick said, “Where the real danger lies is with the elderly or the immune (system) challenged. They are already weak and this parasite can be very dangerous for them.”
While no parasites have been detected in Rainy River’s drinking water, the problem with high turbidity levels has not been rectified as of yet and according to Limerick, “Has been ongoing for some time.” He noted that the Town of Rainy River is bringing in an engineer to investigate why this problem has been happening at the plant and as soon as it is rectified the Boil Water Advisory will be lifted when the water is deemed completely safe. Limerick expects the advisory will continue for at least the better part of the week.
Until it is lifted he said people should take precautions and boil their drinking water for at least one minute before consuming it.
Even though no parasites have been found in Rainy River’s water supply, Limerick said, “You are damned if you do, damned if you don’t. This is a precautionary measure.”
No other communities that take their water from the Rainy River are presently experiencing this problem. However, Limerick said they did have the same problem in Sioux Lookout but it has been rectified.
High turbidity levels generally happen in the spring when there is runoff, however, “We have not had any run off yet,” said Limerick.
If the order is lifted the information will be posted on the Record’s website at www.RainyRiverRecord.com. So please check the site daily for any changes.