The RM of Ritchot released a public notice at noon on February 15 warning residents of a water line break that resulted in a boil water advisory.

The area affected is north of Ste. Agathe on the west side of the Red River and includes rural residents as well as those living along Red River Drive, Kelburn Road, Bartmanovich Road, and Marchand Road.

According to Mike Dumaine, Ritchot’s public works manager, the water line break occurred around 10:00 a.m. and was repaired by around 4:30 p.m. that same day.

Residents served by this water line were without water during that time.

In the event of a damaged water line, Public Works is required to notify the provincial health department.

A boil water advisory has since been issued by Manitoba Health, Environment and Climate for all affected households. The advisory is a precautionary measure rolled out by the province any time a loss of water pressure occurs in a public water line.

“Distribution depressurization can compromise the safety of the water supply,” the advisory notice states. “Therefore, a boil water advisory has been issued to ensure public health protection.”

According to the notice, the advisory will remain in effect until testing indicates that the water supplied by this system no longer poses any risk to public health.

Dumaine is hopeful that this can occur within about 24 hours.

“They gave us notice to take one sample in three different areas,” says Dumaine. “If everything comes back negative with coliform bacteria counts, the boil water advisory will be rescinded.”

He adds that samples have already been collected following the repair and will be delivered to the lab for testing on February 16.

Affected residents are warned to continue under the boil water advisory until they are formally notified that the water has tested safe for use.

Dumaine says that the break took place in a Ritchot regional water line just north of the Ste. Agathe dike. It was inadvertently caused by Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure as they performed testing in the area for the Ste. Agathe dike-raising initiative.

“They were locating the utilities around the area and happened to just hit our water line,” Dumaine says. “It caused a major break, unfortunately.”

The Public Works department has been busy notifying all residents in the area of the boil water advisory since the break occurred.

Under a boil water advisory, residents are cautioned to bring water to a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute before using it for consumptive purposes. This includes ice-making, infant formula preparation, washing fruits and vegetables, and brushing teeth.

Water used for household purposes, such as laundry and washing dishes, does not need to be boiled in advance.

In any circumstances where there is a risk of swallowing the water, such as bathing or showering, other means should be utilized. Young children should always be sponge-bathed under a boil water advisory.

Where boiling water for consumption is impractical, bottled water is a good alternative.

Additional guidelines can be found on the provincial health website (see below) for both residential and commercial water use during a boil water advisory.