Bare Point watermain work may affect Thunder Bay drinking water

The city of Thunder Bay is warning homeowners they may see changes in their tap water over the next few days as a result of ongoing watermain upgrades.

Two replacement trunk watermains extending from the Bare Point Water Treatment Plant across Lakeshore Drive are scheduled to be commissioned today, officials said in a news release.

The two watermains were installed over the summer and will be tied into existing mains on the west side of Lakeshore Drive over the next several days, and possibly into next week.

The work may cause discoloured water at times, the release stated.

In addition, water pressure, taste or clarity could be affected for short periods.

The city added that, for those who do notice any changes to water, to follow the steps below:

• Do not open any hot water taps
• Open only one cold water tap (a tap that does not have a water filter system attached to it) and allow the water to flow at a medium flow until the water runs clear.
• Once the single cold water tap is running clear, open all other taps including hot water taps and flush until all water runs clear.

Running your cold water taps for five minutes will usually clear any discoloured water. If the water does not clear after following the procedure above, people are asked to phone 625-2195.