NEWS RELEASE
SSMPUC
*************************
November 25, 2013
Open Letter to Residents of Sault Ste. Marie Served by Municipal Water Supply
Recently many residents in the east end of the city experienced discoloured water coming from their taps.
Furthermore, PUC has been working on a comprehensive plan to address the problem of discoloured water as well as the ongoing concerns by some residents related to objectionable taste or odour since the change to free chlorine disinfection late 2011.
This letter is being issued to all PUC customers in order to provide information on these matters.
Brown Water Events in Drinking Water Systems
In regards to the occurrence of brown water in Sault Ste. Marie’s drinking water system, it should be noted that we have long had occurrences of brown water in the distribution system, well before the recent changes in disinfection methods.
PUC regularly performs ongoing operations and maintenance activities on the city’s drinking water system.
These activities may include turning system valves off or on, flowing fire hydrants, and repairing watermain breaks.
Discoloured water can result from any of these activities and is a normal occurrence for any water distribution system.
Discoloured water typically results from reversals in flow patterns within the distribution system, which may stir up pre-existing deposits of scale and sediment within the pipes that originate from internal corrosion of iron and concrete pipes.
This corrosion is a natural process and occurs in every distribution system. Sault Ste. Marie is not unique in this regard as discoloured water events can and do occur in municipal drinking water systems across the country, and across the world.
Brown Water Event – November 20, 2013
Many residents of the east end of the city experienced brown water coming from their taps on the evening of Wednesday, November 20th.
That event was the direct result of the failure of a private hydrant on private property (i.e. not PUC’s property).
This event was not due to any activities by PUC.
While we do not know the cause, it appears the 6” diameter watermain supplying the hydrant failed, resulting in a sudden, uncontrolled, and very large discharge of water for about an hour before PUC was notified, arrived on site, and were able to stop the flow (i.e. someone noticed the leaking water, called the Fire Dept. who attended the site and who then called the PUC).
This large and sudden release of water reversed flow patterns in the distribution system over a large area in the east end of the city. The flow reversals disturbed pre‐existing deposits in the watermains hat have accumulated over many years due to internal corrosion of iron and concrete pipes all across the city.
Safe Drinking Water
Sault Ste. Marie’s drinking water is and always has been safe for consumption.
This does not mean that PUC suggests anyone should consume brown water! However, it should be noted that such brown water has been tested in the past and the absence of any harmful bacteria was confirmed.
Our water meets or exceeds all Ontario drinking water standards, except for lead in a small number of homes in the city (more on this below). The safety of the drinking water delivered to our customers is our first and primary objective.
Why Did PUC Change the Disinfection Method?
PUC changed the way the city’s drinking water is disinfected in order to satisfy regulatory requirements.
Following the Walkertown tragedy in 2000, the Province has implemented increasingly more prescriptive laws.
We have no choice but to comply with provincial regulations which require us to use some form of chlorine to treat drinking water and ensure there is a specified minimum concentration of chlorine present at all times and at every point in the distribution system.
When the latest regulation dealing with lead came into effect (starting in 2007), we were obliged to develop a plan to reduce lead in the water at the customer’s tap.
We had two choices; either add more chemicals to alter the chemistry of the water and thereby reduce the amount of lead leaching from pipes into the water; or stop using ammonia and switch to free chlorine.
We chose the second option because we believe that people would rather have fewer chemicals in their drinking water than more chemicals.
So, on October 27, 2011 we stopped injecting ammonia into the city’s drinking water and continued only with the chlorine – the same chlorine that we have been using for at least the past 50 years.
While there have been very few cases of municipal systems switching from Chloramine (i.e. Chlorine combined with Ammonia ‐ the “old” method) to Free Chlorine (i.e. Chlorine alone), all the available data indicated that within a relatively short time, most people would not notice the difference.
However it was not possible to conclusively identify how long it would take for the system to stabilise.
The fact is that some people will always detect free chlorine due to individual sensitivities.
But keep in mind that we now use 30% less chlorine than we did before the switch and we have completely eliminated the addition of approximately 16 tonnes per year of ammonia to the water.
As a result we have eliminated about 5.3 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year from the environment.
What is PUC Doing to Correct the Situation? (Uni-Directional Flushing Program)
We acknowledge that concerns about objectionable taste and odour are real and persistent among
some consumers.
Furthermore, it is obvious that brown water events occur far too often, especially in the east end of the city.
We are committed to improving this situation as much as possible.
That is the main reason why we instituted the practice of Uni-Directional Flushing (UDF) in 2012.
This process creates a scouring action with the water in the pipes that cleans out loose scale which has been building up in the pipes over many years from internal corrosion.
UDF is recognised within the industry as one of the most effective methods of improving water quality, both for taste and odour issues as well as colour.
Last year we flushed the east end of the city. This year we flushed the west end while concurrently redoing the east end for the second time. UDF has now been completed in the area below ‘the hill’ from the city east limits west to near Pine Street and from the west limits east to near North Street.
In the east end, the water quality appears to be getting better.
Flushes do not take as long as they did last year and turbidity levels are generally not as high during the flushes.
In the west end, the water quality observed during the flushing appears to be better than in the east end.
This observation is consistent with known water chemistry differences between the east wells compared to the west wells.
Some customers have commented that their water quality improved (i.e. chlorine was no longer noticeable) after the pipes in their area were flushed.
But, since the entire water supply across the city is completely interconnected, and it will take at least three years to flush the entire city once, we may not see the ultimate benefit of UDF for several more years.
UDF will be a key part of PUC ongoing maintenance work every year for the foreseeable future.
Frequency of Brown Water Events
Since changing to free chlorine, it appears the scale and sediment are more easily disturbed.
That's a benefit in the long run because UDF will be more effective at removing the buildup.
However, in the short term, it means customers will continue to experience more frequent brown water episodes.
Unfortunately, this situation is unavoidable and will continue for several more years until we complete enough flushing passes through the whole system to achieve permanent improvement.
Cast iron and concrete pipes have been used in the system for more than 100 years.
The use of free chlorine appears to have ‘softened up’ the historical buildup of corrosion by‐products.
Obviously it will take a number of years to flush out those sediments across the whole system.
What is PUC Doing to Correct the Situation? (Water Chemistry Issues)
PUC is currently in the final stages of a comprehensive study to address the taste and odour concerns as well as the brown water issues.
We originally anticipated concluding the study and reporting publicly on the outcome by late Fall this year, but that is now expected by March 2014.
We have two very reputable engineering firms conducting this study, Kresin Engineering and Stantec.
Also, we have established a Steering Committee comprised of members of the public, Algoma Public
Health and Ministry of Environment officials.
The Committee is providing public input and oversight related to development of the final outcome that will serve to correct the problems identified.
We also instituted augmented sampling at residences that have continued to experience significant taste and odour problems.
This sampling included testing for a range of known compounds that impact taste and odour at detection levels up to 10 times greater than normal lab methods typically used in the province.
The results of this augmented sampling will be incorporated into the overall assessment by our consultants of the effectiveness of free chlorine to control lead and will be factored into their recommendations related to improving taste, odour, or colour that will come from their final report.
Why are water rates going up so much each year?
Sault Ste. Marie has over 450 kilometers of watermains that supply water to over 25,800 residential and commercial customers.
The vast majority of these mains were installed during the time frame of 1950 through 1980.
With an average useful life between 50 and 80 years for the different types of watermain materials, PUC will have to invest between $8 and $10 million per year, every year, over the next 30 years to replace these watermains. PUC is currently spending about $4 million per year for replacing watermains.
In order to meet the future water needs of our city we need to gradually begin building up the rate base to finance the replacement of our aging infrastructure. PUC initiated this process several years ago.
A Financial Plan that is required under provincial regulations was submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs on February 21, 2012.
The Plan concluded that water rates must increase significantly over the next ten years in order to reach the level of re-investment into the infrastructure required to ensure a
sustainable water supply for the residents of Sault Ste. Marie.
The Financial Plan is available for review on PUC’s website (www.ssmpuc.com)at the following link: http://www.ssmpuc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&menuid=37&pageid=1033
Want Further Information?
For anyone interested in understanding the issues and reading the facts, we recommend they visit the PUC website (www.ssmpuc.com ) at the links below to access documents as follows:
Presentations made to City Council on May 14, 2012 to update Council and the public. Go to: http://www.ssmpuc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&menuid=99&pageid=1086
Presentations to City Council on February 4, 2013 related to the Ipsos Reid water quality survey
conducted late November 2012. Go to: http://www.ssmpuc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&menuid=99&pageid=1086
For answers to Frequently Asked Questions, go to: http://www.ssmpuc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&menuid=23&pageid=1016
Any questions or comments can be addressed by email to [email protected] or by calling PUC Customer Service during normal business hours at 705‐759‐6522.
Thank you,
PUC Services Inc.
*************************
More local news
Browse local flyers
Weather forecast
Find local deals
View local webcams
Verified Commenter, please