The Sault's Brown Water Problem

[The Freq]

Yet another article on our local drinking water that continues to have issues. I know in my area of town it's been a problem since they changed to the knew system. We gave up on it and went with bottled water and dispenser. Anyways, here's the recent PUC response to yet another customer complaint. http://www.sootoday.com/content/news...ls.asp?c=64680

[The Left Sock]

We had a pretty decent thread running on the same issue, a while back (before you made your return debut!)

Thought I would throw the link in, might help to add to the discussion. I had a theory back in April about the source of the problem, and as far as I can see, it is still a plausible explanation:

http://www.soonet.ca/showthread.php?...water-says-PUC

[The Freq]

We had a pretty decent thread running on the same issue, a while back (before you made your return debut!)

Thought I would throw the link in, might help to add to the discussion. I had a theory back in April about the source of the problem, and as far as I can see, it is still a plausible explanation:

http://www.soonet.ca/showthread.php?...water-says-PUC

I actually read that thread a while back. The issues in my area still continue, in fact some neighbours actually ran out to a PUC truck with glasses of their water as they set up for a hydrant flush on our street. The flush did nothing again. Water is still the same and thus the complaints have been flying since Ms. Burke and the PUC have exchanged letters and posted them online. Some are actually asking for compensation until the issues are corrected which PUC says may take 7 years. It seems stupid to have to pay for this issue PLUS have a recent rate increase when the fact is, there's not a chance people are going to drink brown water no matter what the cause is whether it be a broken main or some other thing. I switched to bottled water long ago with a dispenser and also added a filter to my tap to help ward off PUC's evil sludge monster.. haha

[The Left Sock]

To add insult to injury, the PUC is going to crank water rates to the tune of something like 10% a year for the next five years.

I used to have the actual details, but I know it amounts to an outrageous increase, by the time they get done screwing us.

They will tell you it will only increase your overall PUC bill by something like 3$ a month, but it's hard to take their word for anything, when they keep wiggling and ducking over why the water is so messed up.

So, in five years, your water costs will almost double (compounded increases), but it will take 7 years to finish flushing the lines. Sounds like a great deal to me!

[The Freq]

To add insult to injury, the PUC is going to crank water rates to the tune of something like 10% a year for the next five years.

I used to have the actual details, but I know it amounts to an outrageous increase, by the time they get done screwing us.

They will tell you it will only increase your overall PUC bill by something like 3$ a month, but it's hard to take their word for anything, when they keep wiggling and ducking over why the water is so messed up.

So, in five years, your water costs will almost double (compounded increases), but it will take 7 years to finish flushing the lines. Sounds like a great deal to me!

I think that's the 2nd main issue now (1st being the brown bad tasting water). People in the east end are arguing the increases ( no matter how much) for a service that has been flawed for 2 years and who are now being told it may take 7 years to correct. That's like having someone start to paint your house for a fee who in turn is doing a crappy job, yet half way through the job, the painter asks for more money (and they say the paint job will get better), and so you give more money to them, and the paint job continues to be crappy. Then to add more insult, they say the house will be finished in 7 years instead of 2. :-) Yeah.. people are gonna be upset. We can fire the painter but what about PUC? haha. I think that is where Ms. Burke in the recent Sootoday article is going with this.

[Anapeg]

Any monopoly behaves this way. You, we, have no recourse and they do not give a damn. What are you going to do, stop using water and electric? For those of us using there is no recourse which makes them, the monopoly care even less. Beyond that the actual culprits remain aloof and untouchable in their brand new ivory tower. Go ahead, show me how you can talk to those actually in charge and how you can tell 'em like it is. Dig a well and buy a generator, that will show 'em!

[Hans]

People who have this brown water problem need to have samples taken from their tap and analyzed by an independent lab to see if it meets Ontario drinking water standards.
If it does not meet, they can file complaints with the Ministry, who will have to respond. And yes, it will cost them money out of their own pocket.

It is the only way you are going to get PUC to act in a timely fashion. Right now they are stalling by providing lengthy replies that do not address the complaints at hand, giving vague plants for the future that might or might not help.
The fact that it is going to take until March to get a report out of the door shows you just how much they are stalling.
They can release interim reports if they want. I bet many people will rather have a half interim report than no report at all.

[Bill Nash]

My water is just fine. Pure as the driven snow. I will sell it for $1.00 a 4 liter container delivered, ... you supply the container. Great deal, just in time for Christmas! Don't wait, quantities limited.

[The Freq]

PUC to Residents: "What's the problem? Your water is brown, it's always been brown, this isn't new. Heck, everyone's got brown water everywhere, it's totally safe, but DO NOT DRINK IT"

It's crazy they say it's safe but don't drink it or I should say they don't encourage people to drink brown water. ;-)

[The Freq]

And the saga continues after a town meeting last night. :-)


http://www.sootoday.com/content/news...ls.asp?c=65081

[dancingqueen]

Well, at least they're sorry....
Problem solved.

[hobo]

I suspect the problem with dirty water is only going to continue as our water infrastructure deteriorates over time. Looking at photos of water main corrosion it seems impossible to me that flushing, pigging, swabbing, ice pigging and any mechanical means of just cleaning debris can solve the problem if there is substantial corrosion in some of the mains. Whatever the solutions that will be brought up in 2014 it appears to me there are only a few alternatives if in fact corrosion in the water mains is the culprit for continuing dirty water.

Here is a look at what one of many cities are doing. http://www.halifax.ca/hrwc/RenewalProgram.html

[The Freq]

I suspect the problem with dirty water is only going to continue as our water infrastructure deteriorates over time. Looking at photos of water main corrosion it seems impossible to me that flushing, pigging, swabbing, ice pigging and any mechanical means of just cleaning debris can solve the problem if there is substantial corrosion in some of the mains. Whatever the solutions that will be brought up in 2014 it appears to me there are only a few alternatives if in fact corrosion in the water mains is the culprit for continuing dirty water.

Here is a look at what one of many cities are doing. http://www.halifax.ca/hrwc/RenewalProgram.html

Thanks for that link. It's possible that is the problem. We'll have to wait and see.

[Bill Nash]

Protest tomorrow at the PUC building at 4:30, ..... be there,or STFU, ....

[The Left Sock]

Like I've been saying all along, corrupted water mains.

Caught a lot of heat for it a while back, but it seems to be gaining traction now. Good stuff!

[Hans]

What is a corrupted water main?

[The Voice]

Like I've been saying all along, corrupted water mains.

Caught a lot of heat for it a while back, but it seems to be gaining traction now. Good stuff!

The East End water mains maintain a constant 50+ PSI It is not possible for water to flow back into a corrupted main. It would create a Sink Hole.

[Upper Decker]

My water here always smells like a swimming pool. Its awful.

[The Left Sock]

The East End water mains maintain a constant 50+ PSI It is not possible for water to flow back into a corrupted main. It would create a Sink Hole.

If the water in the east end maintained a constant 50+ PSI, then a single hydrant discharging wouldn't be enough to reverse flow in the water mains, causing sediment disruption.

Think about it.

[Tutones]

If the water in the east end maintained a constant 50+ PSI, then a single hydrant discharging wouldn't be enough to reverse flow in the water mains, causing sediment disruption.

Think about it.

I doubt that hydrant discharge is actually the problem. If it were, it would affect the ENTIRE city rather than one isolated area in the East End. Hydrants were flushed in my neighbourhood in the summer (one right across the street from my house) and we had NO problems whatsoever with the water in this end of town. The only time I have ever had brown water come out my tap in 20 years was when the water main down the street broke. The brown water was the only indication at the time that anything was wrong. No sink hole & no visible water... it is entirely possible that broken lines can be at fault.

A rate increase across the entire system is being put into effect but people need to realize that the cost of fixing water mains is expensive and the price tag added to your property taxes for just fixing you own street is far more expensive than a PUC increase across the board. Just ask anyone who lives in one of the areas that has been reconstructed recently... The east central area has the oldest infrastructure in town and any one living east of that area is receiving water that is pumped THROUGH that old infrastructure. Here in the west end we have the luxury of obtaining our water from the west end pump station or the Goulais well, which is a far newer system as far as infrastructure goes. Old pipes are the problem, and old pipes take time to replace. 7 years is not an unrealistic period of time for that to happen.