PROVINCE TO COVER FULL COSTS OF WELL-WATER TESTING FOR FLOOD-AFFECTED INTERLAKE RESIDENTS

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Residents Including Those from Arborg, Gypsumville, Fisher Branch, Ashern Urged to Test Well Water

Residents of the Interlake are encouraged to test wells that may have been affected by overland flooding and the province will pay for the precautionary tests, Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick announced today.

 

“We are urging residents to test their well water as soon as possible, as a precaution, due to record rains,” said Melnick. “Some areas received about twice the normal amount of rain since June.”

 

The Arborg, Gypsumville, Fisher Branch and Ashern areas received 385 to 474 millimetres of precipitation since June, the highest amount recorded since 1951. 

 

As a precautionary measure, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health advises that all people using water from wells or other sources that may have been affected by heavy rains or flooding should boil their water before using it or find alternative supplies of drinking water until flooding subsides and appropriate tests are satisfactory.

 

“The storm of Aug. 11 to 12 will go down in the records as a one-in-150-year event because 85 mm of rain fell over 90 minutes on already saturated ground,” said Melnick

 

The province covers 70 per cent of such water testing but under the current circumstances, well owners’ 30 per cent share is being waived for the flooded areas until Nov. 30.

 

For further details on water testing, contact the local Manitoba Water Stewardship or Manitoba Conservation office, the Manitoba Office of Drinking Water at 204-945-5762 or
Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257.

 

Access to Manitoba well-water fact sheets is available at:

www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cmoh/water.html.

 

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