BOIL WATER ORDER
December 6, 2024
The Smoky River Regional Water Management Commission has made the transition to the temporary clarifier. We are still having issues with getting this temporary portable clarifier to function with the rest of the water plant smoothly. This is a necessary upgrade to our regional 45 year old Water Plant, and this upgrade is a long time coming. Smoky River Regional Water Management Commissionhave picked this time of year for construction as it is the time of year when the water consumption is at its lowest and it affects the residents the least.
The Boil Water Order was not issued because of an operator error, bacteria, or anything else that was detected in the water. Bacteriologica tests being done continue to be negative for E-coli and total coliform. There is a turbidity contravention and the Boil Water Order is to ensure everyone’s safety.
Sometimes things need to get a little worse before they get better when it comes to repairing/replacing important municipal infrastructure. Please be patient while we work through this period to improve our treatment process. We are trying to rectify this situation as quickly as we can. Look for a weekly update on your municipality’s website. If the update has not changed, keep boiling your water to ensure your safety. We will notify you as soon as this Boil Water Order is lifted.
The Town of Falher and The Smoky River Regional Water Management Commission sincerely thank you for patience, understanding, and resilience during this time. We will get over this and it will be better than it was. Stay Safe Everyone.
November 29, 2024
Effective 8:00 p.m November 29, the Smoky River Regional Water Works System including Falher, Donnelly, Girouxville, Guy, Jean Cote, and the Smoky River Water Co-op (unless supplied by McLennan) is under a BOIL WATER ORDER (BWO) as issued by Alberta Health Services. The Water Treatment Plant is experiencing treatment and mechanical issues that have caused a turbidity exceedance in the filtered water. Our clearwell levels are very low and we will be forced to send water that is above the turbidity limits into the distribution system. The Smoky River Water Commission is working with Alberta Environment and chemical experts, who are doing tests on our water to try and correct this problem as soon as possible. After many tests that have already taken place there is a theory that it might be mechanical failure of the clarifier that is disrupting the mixing and contact time of the chemical with the water in the mixing chamber. We will be connecting to a portable clarifier on December 3rd, and 4th, and hopefully this will be a turning point to getting everyone off of the BWO as soon as possible.
The Smoky River Water Commission has tried everything we can to avoid this and we will be working diligently with external sources to rectify this situation as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and resilience during this period.
Alberta Health – Using water at home during a boil water advisory
Info Sheets
Child Care Facility Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-water-safely-child-care-bwa.pdf
Food Establishment Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-water-safely-food-establishment-bwa.pdf
How to Use Water Safely in Community based HealthCare Setting Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eph-using-water-chcs-bwa.pdf
School Facility Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-water-safely-school-bwa.pdf
Long Term Care Facilities, Supportive Living and Home Living Sites Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-water-safely-ltc-bwa.pdf
Personal Service Facility Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-water-safely-ps-boil-water.pdf
Hotel or Motel Info Sheet
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/wf/eph/wf-eh-water-safely-hotel-bwa.pdf
