Water shut and boil water advisory issued for districts north end
Last Thursday, vehicle circulation on Liège at the corner of Stuart in the north of Park Extension was brought to an abrupt halt after an underground water main burst and forced city employees to cut access to water and shut the street down to traffic.
The road was first shut to both directions of traffic on Jan. 27 at approximately 8 AM, when city staff began work to repair the infrastructure. City crews began digging up the road to reach the broken pipes and fenced off much of the intersection at Liège St. and Stuart Ave.
As of the date of publication, the intersection is still blocked to vehicle traffic in all directions, causing difficulties for many motorists and residents in the districts’ north end.
Boil water advisory
Water was shut off at approximately 8:30 AM on Jan. 27 to both residents and businesses on Stuart between Liège St. and d’Anvers Ave. as well as on Liège between Stuart Ave. and Birnam St. until approximately 4 PM.
Water was again shut the next day between 8 AM and 4 PM, with a preventative boil water advisory issued at around 8:45 PM on Jan. 28. The advisory has since remained in place.
Residents cannot drink water from the tap unless they first keep it at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute. Many residents have instead reverted to using bottled water.
Residents urged to use caution
While the advisory remains in effect, tap water cannot be used to drink, prepare bottles and baby food, rinse or prepare foods that would be eaten raw or not cooked long enough, make ice cubes, give water to pets, brush teeth or rinse mouths.
The city nonetheless outlined that it could still be used for certain needs but with a degree of caution. Washing clothes and washing dishes in hot water, so long as they are well dried, was deemed safe for residents.
Although it is also safe to take a shower or bath, the city warned parents to make sure young children do not swallow water or to otherwise simply wash them with a washcloth. The city also advised schools, businesses and institutions to close water fountains and notify the public that the water was unfit for consumption.
The city will issue a notice to inform residents when it is again safe to use the tap water. Residents are asked to wait for this notice before consuming water again.
