Released June 12, 2021
WEYBURN – Some residents have been wondering about recent smell and taste of their tap water. Learn more about the City of Weyburn water treatment process below.
The City of Weyburn draws raw untreated water from Nickle Lake. The quality and quantity of this water is affected by many factors including runoff, precipitation, temperature and wind.
The primary sources of taste and odor problems in drinking water are from algae and bacteria. Despite taste and odor concerns, the water is still completely safe for consumption. This is proven through continually testing.
Low water levels at Nickle Lake create an environment for naturally occurring organic material (algae) blooms to grow. Light, temperature and nutrient conditions also add to this environment.
This ecological imbalance along with high and low temperatures during the summer and fall months encourages the algae to bloom and die.
The City is committed to providing a safe and sufficient supply of drinking water to the residents. While removing the harmful containments during the treatment and disinfection process, these factors trigger the earthy, fishy or grassy smell residents may experience coming from their water taps.
Trained city staff performs tests every four hours to make sure drinking water is safe and the harmful containments are removed. Multiple samples are also sent weekly for bacteriological testing to the provincial lab.
During 2018 and 2019, the City of Weyburn completed a 15 million dollar project to add a 13 million litre reservoir to our main plant and upgrade the equipment at our 1st Ave. reservoir.
This project allowed the City to increase the reliability of our water supply and reduce the risk of any disruptions to our water service. This will ensure that we would have adequate water storage and supply for current residents and any future developments.
-30-