Thousands of St. John's residents warned not to drink city water

The Cityof St. John's is advising residents serviced by the Petty Harbour Long Pond water system most of the west end who are experiencing discolouredwater to use an alternative source for drinking water.

The potentially affected area comprises hundreds of streets and thousands of residents. A list of streets can be found here.

"We have had several complaints of discoloration in the drinking water," said Mayor DannyBreen. "They came from various areas, so there wasn't one specific to focus on."

The city has determined the discoloured water is due to elevated levels of manganese, which is one of the most prevalent metals in the world and occurs naturally in drinking water.

The city says manganese in drinking water is not a health concern for cleaning and washing foods or bathing, and that boiling, freezing, filtering or letting the water stand will not reduce its manganese levels. However, manganese can stain plumbing fixtures and laundry. City officials couldn't say when the problem would be fixed.

Children under one should have their meals prepared with bottled water or an alternative water source, the city said in an emailed statement.

To assist in the efforts to provide alternative water sources for residents, Breen says the city will be opening stations beginning Wednesday at the municipal depot on BlacklerAvenue.

"That's the first one. We're just trying to get one open right now and then we'll monitor the demand for that. Then if we need to open more we will," hesaid.

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