UPDATED: According to Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere, the boil water advisory was lifted on Sunday.
Residents of a Pointe-Claire neighbourhood have been unable to drink their tap water for almost two weeks due to a major construction project.
“The challenge is to keep reminding yourself not to use the water in the tap,” said resident Hugh Henry.
Roughly 40 homes have been under a boil water advisory since Aug. 6 because of work on nearby Windward and Sunnyside avenues. Part of both roads have been dug up as pipes are replaced.
“It could have been dirt that got in when they cut it,” said Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere. “It could be existing stuff, it’s not abnormal.”
Belvedere said such an advisory isn’t out of the ordinary when it comes to major road work.
“Is it normal? Not usually for this long,” he said. “Something you get a few hiccups and you have to go back for a second test, but we’re on our third or fourth rounds of tests.”
Henry said he’s received a flyer at his home but hasn’t been able to get information anywhere else.
“We’ve been looking at Twitter or their Facebook feed or the city website and in this day and age everybody expects the information quickly. It’s just not always there,” he said.
Fellow resident Fernando Donoso echoed the complaint.
“When I saw a second paper on my door I said ‘Ok, that’s great, it’s over’ and instead of saying it’s over it said ‘keep drinking boiled water,’” he said. “That was a shock and that was a week ago.”
Belvedere defended his administrations communication but admitted things can fall through the cracks.
“We try our best to always communicate the best we can but you know what, I’m going to look at it and find out what went wrong.”
