St. John's mayor denies city knew earlier about manganese water woes

Mayor Danny Breen says "nothing could be further from the truth" in response to allegationsthe City of St. John's knew about water issues and didn't advise the public until recently.

"The integrity of our water supply is one of our most important commitments and we would never take any unnecessary risks with our water," Breen said in a statement to St. John's City Council Tuesday evening.

"I know this is inconvenient and worrisome for many of our residents. For that I am truly sorry."

Breen said while it was early August that reports started to come in from residents about brown water from the Petty Harbour Long Pond water supply, test results were not consistent.

"An area with high manganese one day had low levels the next. Only localized areas were affected, as is still the case," according to Breen.

"Based on the number of complaint areas and our analysis, the city decided to err on the side of caution and notify the public August 28."

Manganese present all the time

Breen admitted the city has struggled to "communicate effectively" that manganese is naturally occurring in water.

"Most of the readings we've taken throughout the system are below acceptable levels as set out by Health Canada," said Breen.

Health Canada says acceptable levels are 0.12 milligrams per litre for maximum acceptable concentration.The water from the Petty Harbour Long Pond water system has had samples range from 0.009 mg/l to a maximum 0.525 mg/l the City of St. John's has confirmed.

Chris Nolan of Eastern Health's Environmental Public Health branch assures residentsthe levels being reported are only a health concern to infants under one, and meals for babies should only beprepared with bottled water or an alternative water source.

Breen said the situation has made people nervous, including the move to provide bottled water to some schools, but stresses that it's a precaution.

"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," he said.

"If it is clear, there isn't high manganese in it. If it's coloured, manganese may be present. Now it may be present at a level that won't cause any harm, especially over a short period of time, but why not be cautious and avoid drinking that water?"

No timeline for fix

Breen said staff are working with experts to figure out how to address the issue, "first at the neighbourhood or street level and then with our water system overall."

New technologies on how to reduce the level of manganese in the pipes are being considered, as well as cleaning the water mains.

"Over the long-term we will be investigating additional treatment process at the Petty Harbour Long Pond Water treatment facility," said Breen.

But, he admits, there is no timeline for when the issue will be fixed.

"I am responsible for ensuring that residents get good quality water. I don't take that responsibility lightly," Breen said.

"I'm not willing to risk holding off on talking to [residents] about issues like this while we get more information, or we wait and see if we can fix it this council is not that council."

Affected residents, according to the list provided bythe City of St. John's, can access fresh water at four water stations, which are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily:

• Jensen Camp Pump Station at 85 Jensen Camp Rd.
• Kenmount Road Pump Station at 515 Blackmarsh Rd.
• Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Plant at 209 Southside Rd.
• City depot at 25 Blackler Ave. (attendant on site from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to provide assistance)

With files from the St. John's Morning Show

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