KENORA, Ont. — A major watermain break left the entire city of Kenora under a boil water advisory.
The advisory was issued late Tuesday to all residents receiving water from the municipal water distribution system.
All water from taps should be boiled for at least one minute if it is to be used for human consumption.
Although repairs have now been completed, the advisory remains in effect until it is officially rescinded.
That could take a few days, as two consecutive water samples, collected 24 hours apart, must pass laboratory tests before the all-clear is given.
A City of Kenora spokesperson said samples are being sent to a lab in Thunder Bay to be checked as soon as possible.
According to a statement from the city, the watermain break caused a few problems for the distribution system.
"The break itself was not the issue, rather in order to fix it we had to valve off a water tower and a major transmission line. This created pressure issues within the distribution system," the statement said.
Usually in the case of a pipe break, the affected area can be isolated by leaving a valve closed, resulting in a boil water advisory for that neighbourhood only.
The statement explained that since the water tower and main transmission line was involved, this was not an option.
