St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen says it’s tough to give a timeline for a solution to elevated levels of manganese in a portion of the St. John’s water supply, partly because it takes time to sort out the best solution.
Breen started off Tuesday evening’s St. John’s city council meeting with a prepared statement addressing concerns about manganese.
Regarding when the problem will be fixed, Breen says that’s anyone’s guess at this point.
“If the water is clear, then it’s safe to drink. If it’s coloured, then use an alternative drinking source,” Breen said.
“The water supply is tremendously important — one of the most important things we do as a municipality. We don’t take any chances with it.”
The city first addressed the issue with elevated levels of manganese on Aug. 28. Some concerns from the public had been coming in for as much as a month prior to the city’s acknowledgement of the problem.
At this point, it appears the problem is with the water pipes, not with the water at the Petty Harbour Long Pond water supply.
Breen says water pipes will be flushed in hopes of clearing up the issues. Upgrades to the water filters at the water supply are a long-term solution — not something the city will be able to source and install in a matter of weeks or even months.
“Right now, we’re exploring the technologies available to clean the pipes. That’s really the challenge with this,” he said.
“This may dissipate and may not be an issue. But we want to know that we have a plan in place so this doesn’t occur again.”
Manganese is a metal with low associated public health risks. The metal is always present in any water supply, at low levels. Health Canada says the only real risk of any harm associated with manganese comes after long-term exposure to levels higher than what the city says it’s reading currently.
All the same, Breen says it’s better to be cautious.
“The fact that schools in the service area are providing bottled water to students seems to be concerning to some people, but to me it makes perfect sense,” read a part of Breen’s prepared statement.
“The problem we are having right now is an intermittent problem — it comes and goes. Children are not as likely to look at what’s coming out of the fountain as you or I might be.”
Water is available at depots across the city, which are manned from 1-4 p.m. daily — though water is still available 24/7 if city workers are not present. Those with mobility issues are encouraged to call Access St. John’s at 311 for information or to schedule water dropoff.
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