Owen Sound Boil Water Advisory Lifted Hours After City Said Earliest Review Could Be Wednesday
The City of Owen Sound has lifted its precautionary boil water advisory following an engineering assessment confirming the water is safe to drink.
The precautionary boil water advisory affecting users of the City of Owen Sound municipal water system has been lifted, according to a notice issued by the City Monday afternoon.
Officials said the advisory was removed following an engineering assessment conducted with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Public Health Ontario confirming that disinfection of the water supply remained adequate.
“This confirms the water is safe to drink,” officials confirmed in a media release and on social media.
The advisory had been issued Saturday evening after elevated turbidity — or cloudiness — was observed at the city’s water treatment plant.
The decision to lift the advisory came just hours after the City told residents that lifting it would likely not be considered until at least Wednesday.
In an update released earlier Monday, the City said it was seeing “encouraging trends” in the system and stated that if those trends continued the system might be in a position to consider lifting the precautionary boil water advisory by Wednesday.
Less than five hours later, the City announced the advisory had been lifted effective immediately.
The advisory created practical challenges for residents and businesses across the city. The event coincided with winter weather and power outages in parts of the region, leaving some households without an easy way to boil water as recommended.
Restaurants and cafés had to adjust quickly, modifying food preparation protocols, suspending some beverage service, or bringing in bottled water while trying to plan staffing and operations amid uncertainty about how long the advisory might remain in place.
Grocery stores reported heavy demand for bottled water, with flats selling out quickly as shipments arrived.
At the same time, social service agencies and volunteers coordinated efforts to deliver bottled water to vulnerable residents, including through organizations such as OSHaRE and Safe 'N Sound, as well as to apartment buildings and homes where access to safe drinking water was more difficult.
Testing timeline still unclear
Officials have not released any testing results related to the advisory.
In responses to questions from Owen Sound Current — sent as the advisory was being lifted — the City confirmed that the most recent microbiological sample had been collected Monday, March 9, with results received Thursday, March 12.
City staff also confirmed that no additional microbiological samples had been collected during the advisory period. The next regularly scheduled sampling was planned for today — Monday, March 16.
Michelle Palmer, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Effectiveness for the City Manager’s Office, wrote, “I would reiterate that microbiological testing is one type of testing utilized and there are multiple factors that are under consideration to determine the safety of the water.”
Officials said weekly microbiological testing is part of the regular monitoring schedule under the municipality’s drinking water licence and Ontario Regulation 170. Other indicators, including chlorine residual levels, are monitored more frequently.
According to the City, chlorine residual levels were checked daily during the advisory and remained stable.
“High turbidity is an indication that there might be interference with certain aspects of the disinfection process, but there has been no indication of contamination,” the City said in its written response.
Some details released by the City suggest the issue may have involved more than turbidity alone, but officials have not provided a full explanation.
In earlier responses to questions from Owen Sound Current, the City said “infrastructure upgrades to redundant equipment” and changing weather conditions affecting raw water from Georgian Bay were limiting the plant’s ability to process enough water to meet typical demand while maintaining turbidity parameters.
Staff also said filters were able to meet turbidity targets only at reduced flow rates with increased backwash cycling.
Those statements indicate operational constraints at the treatment plant during the event, but the City has not provided further details about what equipment may have been offline, how source water conditions affected the intake, or how those factors contributed to the advisory.
Tap water safe to use
With the advisory now lifted, residents can resume normal use of tap water immediately, including drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and washing produce.
The City said no flushing or other remedial actions are required in homes or buildings.
However, officials are still encouraging residents to conserve water while the system stabilizes.
Conservation still encouraged
Water conservation recommendations remain in place, including shorter showers, avoiding half-loads in dishwashers and washing machines, and reducing unnecessary water use.
City officials thanked residents and local organizations for assisting vulnerable community members with access to bottled water during the advisory.
Questions remain about how the event developed, what operational factors contributed to the advisory, and how information about the situation was communicated to residents and businesses.
Owen Sound Current has requested additional details from the City including turbidity readings, testing data, and operational records related to the incident. A freedom of information request has also been filed seeking records about the advisory and the water treatment plant’s operations during the event.
Related:
