Testing still required to lift boil water advisory in Aylmer, Que. as it approaches full week

An official with the City of Gatineau says the situation that prompted a boil water advisory in the Aylmer sector last week is improving, but the advisory will remain in effect for yet another day.

At a press conference Wednesday, Hull-Wright Coun. Steve Moran, chair of the city's executive committee and vice-chair of the healthy city commission, told reporters that staff have been working since day one of the advisory to find solutions.

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"It is an unusual situation. We do have boil water advisories relatively regularly, but this one is a bit longer than usual so we're actually looking a little bit deeper," he said in English. "I want to reassure people the quality of Gatineau's water is generally very good, whether you're in Aylmer, whether you're in Buckingham, Hull, it's good."

The boil water advisory affects 10,000 residents in the Aylmer sector. It was first issued last Thursday, after a routine inspection discovered the presence of E. coli bacteria. Provincial regulations require two consecutive days of negative tests in order to lift the advisory. The City of Gatineau said a positive result was also found on Saturday, but testing results have been inconclusive since Monday, requiring the advisory to be extended.

The City of Gatineau has issued a boil water advisory for the Aylmer sector. (City of Gatineau/ handout)

Moran said there are no grave concerns about the city's water system itself.

"Our first priority is to be able to lift the boil water advisory as soon as possible. I have some confidence we will be able to get there. The situation is getting better but we're not there yet," he said.

The City said on social media Wednesday afternoon that the advisory remains in effect.

"The results of the samplings of the last 24 hours do not comply with certain regulatory standards. The population will be notified as soon as an update is available," the City said in a post X, translated from French. "Until the advisory is lifted, drinking water that has been boiled for one minute is safe to consume. Our teams are continuing to flush the system to eliminate the bacteria from the area affected by the regulatory boil water advisory."

Concerns about communication

Questions were raised about the level of transparency and communication the City of Gatineau has been providing regarding this situation. The media release from Aug. 1, for example, does not mention the presence of E. coli bacteria as the reason for the advisory, nor does the page on the City's website. The information was provided to CTV News Ottawa in an email when asked about it.

Moran told reporters that the City of Gatineau is doing its best to communicate with residents, but there are many channels to cover.

"Modes of communication are evolving rapidly," he said in French. "We have to be agile. I think we're making great effort to communicate with the population. Evidently, we're not reaching everyone; it's impossible to that."

He encouraged residents to sign up for alert notifications from the city. 

"Can we improve communications? Always. And we're always look for ways to do so."

The City stresses that this boil water advisory is not a do-not-drink advisory and the water is safe to consume once it has been properly boiled for at least one minute.