Public Health Sudbury and Districts announced at 6:59 p.m. on May 8 that they had lifted the boil water advisory which has been in place since 6:22 p.m. on May 6
Public Health Sudbury and Districts has lifted their boil water advisory which has been in place for approximately half of Greater Sudbury’s population since 6:22 p.m. on May 6.
The advisory was officially lifted at 6:59 p.m. on May 8.
“We recognize this situation was difficult and disruptive for residents, businesses, schools, and community organizations. We would like to thank everyone for their cooperation and understanding,” Dr. Emily Groot said in a media release.
Groot is the associate medical officer of health for PHSD.
“While challenging, this situation also demonstrates that the routine monitoring and response systems worked as intended. Potential concerns were identified early, and a boil water advisory was issued to protect approximately 90,000 residents.”
The boil water advisory affected New Sudbury, Sudbury, Falconbridge and parts of Garson.
PHSD issued the boil water advisory as a precaution after routine drinking water monitoring detected coliform bacteria in samples, indicating that the drinking water supply may have been vulnerable to contamination, they noted.
“This early detection through ongoing surveillance is a key function of public health monitoring systems designed to identify potential risks before they result in illness.”
The underlying cause of the initial adverse water results have not yet been identified.
However, two consecutive sets of water samples have since returned with no adverse results, which PHSD said indicates the water supply is now safe and that the water treatment and distribution systems are operating properly.
As part of the investigation, and out of an abundance of caution, PHSD required additional water samples to be submitted to Public Health Ontario laboratories, with results expected on May 9. Based on the results received to date, PHSD does not anticipate any issues. If there are any unexpected findings, the public will be notified promptly.
PHSD and the City of Greater Sudbury continue to review the circumstances that led to the advisory.
At this time, there is no evidence of ongoing concerns in the drinking water system, PHSD said in their media release. Boil water advisories are issued whenever there is a potential risk to public health, even while investigations are ongoing.
This event reinforces the importance of sustained public health monitoring and response systems as a critical safeguard for safe drinking water and community health.
After a boil water advisory is lifted, residents should:
- Run cold water faucets for five minutes or until the water runs clear.
- Large-volume users (for example, schools) may need to run cold water taps longer on first use.
- Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
- Drain and refill hot water heaters set below 45°C.
- Discard water filters that were used during the advisory and replace them with new filters, cartridges, and reverse osmosis membranes.
- Discard the first three batches of ice produced in built-in refrigerator ice making machines.
In addition, food premises operators must:
- Flush water lines: Turn on all faucets and water-using equipment (including hoses) and let them run for at least five minutes.
- Clean equipment: Flush and sanitize all water-connected equipment including:
- Ice machines. Empty the ice machine, and clean and sanitize the bin and all lines. Discard the first three batches of ice produced.
- Beverage dispensers. Run soda fountains, coffee machines, and water dispensers with hot water for five minutes. Operators are encouraged to contact their suppliers for guidance.
- Run empty machines through at least one full cycle to ensure sanitization before resuming normal use.
- Clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces.
