“Sometimes it’s a little yellowy, sometimes it’s a little green.”
Those are not words anyone wants to hear when it comes to their drinking water, but that’s how Creighton resident Annette Banach described what has been coming out of her tap lately.
Banach is not the only Creightonite who is experiencing discoloured, foul-smelling or bad tasting tap water. After receiving complaints about the Creighton water supply earlier this month, The Reminder reached out to eight Creighton residents; all eight said they had experienced at least minor issues with the town’s water supply in the past six weeks.
Most said the issues were ongoing.
“We have to buy water jugs of water to drink. It’s absurd,” said Creighton resident Kass Durkee.
David Suchoplas said, “I was worried to put my kids in the tub because the water stunk and was a greenish-yellow colour,” adding, “It hasn’t been too bad the last few weeks, but we no longer drink the tap water.”
“Definitely the smell, it’s a kind of an algae or a swampy or stagnant water smell,” added Banach.
“A lot of times I have to run my hot water tank out, which costs quite a lot of money to refill your tank every time you want to shower.”
A malfunctioning fill valve at the town reservoir is the suspected root of the problem. Since late December, Creighton’s public works crew has manually operated the reservoir. A replacement for the valve is set to come to Creighton in the coming weeks.
“The guys are getting the parts to repair that one. Hopefully, that’s it, but that’s the next thing we’re going to work on,” said Mayor Bruce Fidler.
Fidler has heard multiple complaints from residents about the water supply. While he confirms there have been issues with colour, smell and taste, Fidler said water samples have passed all mandated tests and the water is safe to use and drink.
“Lots of residents are complaining and unhappy, not used to nasty-smelling water. It’s safe, we are working on it and doing the best we can,” said Fidler.
“Water samples were sent out for testing to ensure water was safe before lifting the order,” read a statement posted on the Town of Creighton’s official website.
Samples were sent to check for a variety of possible hazards, including bacteria, chlorine, alkalinity, minerals and toxins like arsenic, mercury, cyanide and lead. No samples submitted by the Town exceeded limits set by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.
“Our samples are going out regularly for testing – they all come back safe,” said Fidler.
A full cleaning of the water treatment plant’s reservoir and a swabbing of water lines will also be done. According to a statement by the Town of Creighton, the swabbing and cleaning are annual tasks, but were not done this year due to the renovation project. At the most recent Creighton Town Council meeting, council voted to approve a quote from Scantron Robotics to inspect and clean the reservoir.
“It’s a familiar company, they’ve done this for us before,” said Ald. Colleen Stallard.
Water supply issues have been concentrated in some areas of Creighton, said Fidler, who added that the Town’s water supply all comes from one source – Douglas Lake.
“It all comes from the same place. I don’t know why some places are worse than others or why some are affected and some aren’t. Our guys are doing their job. We’re trying everything.”
Last year, the Town of Creighton began a water and sewer refurbishment project. The project, which had a total cost of around $4 million, was not fully completed before snow fell this winter and has been delayed until spring.
The town has also announced approval for a $10 per month increase in town utilities, including water, sewer and dry garbage and recycling removal. The rate increase went into effect Jan. 1, but was first proposed in July and approved by council in August, long before residents reported issues with the water.
“We’re hoping it’ll be fixed real quick. We don’t like it as much as anybody else,” said Fidler.
“Creighton has had great water for years – that’s what people are used to and that’s what we want to get back to.”
