The thousands of tests of Woolwich’s drinking water done each year typically turn up only a handful of minor incidents. For 2014, the number of occurrences was down from the previous year.
Most of the minor non-compliance issues were resolved simply by flushing the affected areas with freshly chlorinated water.
The numbers for 2014 were reported to township council March 24.
Woolwich crews test eight water systems daily. Their work is backed up by regular testing by Region of Waterloo technicians.
Last year, there were two occurrences in the Elmira/St. Jacobs system, down from three in 2013. There were no occurrences reported in Heidelberg, the same as the previous year. In the case in Maryhill’s two systems, there were no occurrences, as was the case previously. It was the same for the two systems in Conestogo. West Montrose also had a clean record, as it did a year earlier. In Breslau, there were no occurrences after just one in 2013.
The issues in the Elmira/St. Jacobs system involved two readings of elevated total coliform levels. In each instance, the problem was resolved by flushing of the system, reported director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley.
As with lowered chlorine levels, issues were more likely to develop in parts of the systems with dead-end pipes, where water doesn’t move around as often as in the typical looped areas.
In such cases, the incidents don’t mean the water is unsafe, simply that there is a technical issue that was quickly remedied. Kennaley said water is checked daily, while some aspects of the system fall into a weekly schedule.
