Estevan has had a wetter summer with some extra rain in July, and the city's water situation has seen a good few items according to the latest water quality report from the city.
In July, the city's Water Treatment Plant processed 163,587,800 liters of water, 158,434,700 of which were sent to the municipal water system.
While the plant went without any operational upsets, the same could not be said of all the pipes around the city. On July 20th, ASL Paving, the company working on the downtown revitalization, coordinated leak detection on the 1200 block of 4th Street, which is actively being worked on. The area took part in temporary water isolation and pressure testing, with a temporary boil water advisory took place from the 20th to the 23rd, when satisfactory test results were achieved.
On Thursday, July 24th, crews carried out a scheduled shutdown of a 14-inch water transmission line to isolate and replace a critical valve. The city's crews completed the task while several surrounding valves were also closed temporarily during the work.
The repair allowed the city to proceed with the replacement of a fire hydrant damaged by a water break over the winter, resulting in a short boil water advisory for the area as water pressures dropped.
Crews with the city have also been repairing the pressure vaults within the city's two designated pressure zones, which had been recently malfunctioning, resulting in operational inefficiencies. Repairs are underway as the city hopes to support the Smith Street electrical and pump replacement project this winter.
The Estevan City Council also had an inquiry regarding POFAS testing in the city. In response, the report states that PFAS testing does occur, despite not being mandatory under their current permit. From their testing, they found that to date, PFAS levels have been below their laboratory's minimum detection limits. As the parameter is not mandated, it does not show up in their monthly reports. Should PFAS become a concern for Estevan's waters, proven treatment options including granular activated carbon, ion exchange resins, and reverse osmosis, are available for use.
The report also stated that no water breaks were reported over the month of July.