Regulator demands answers over Halifax boil-water advisory
A Halifax Water spokesperson said the treatment facility systems were running on generators during the planned power outage but, as power was restored, a fuse blew within the facility. A shopper loads jugs of water and groceries into their car as residents living in the Halifax region are being asked to boil water for one minute before consumption on Jan. 21.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
The utility responsible for water in Halifax is facing questions from its regulator about why customers were issued a boil-water advisory for the second time in seven months this week, in an incident that prompted the cancellation of hundreds of surgeries and clinical procedures.
About 200,000 Halifax Water customers were affected Tuesday through to Thursday morning after an electrical failure at Halifax Water’s J.D. Kline Water Supply Plant during a planned power outage. The resulting loss of power meant that for half an hour, treated water was not disinfected with chlorine, prompting the boil-water advisory – months an after electrical failure led to a similar boil-water advisory.
The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board ordered Halifax Water to file a report by early next month explaining what went wrong and how the utility plans to fix it.
Halifax Water spokesperson Brittany Smith said the treatment facility systems were running on generators during the planned power outage Monday night, but as power was restored, a fuse blew within the facility.
She said it was “unfortunate timing” as the utility was a few days away from completing an upgrade that would’ve chlorinated water without power – one of its own recommendations made after another such power failure led to a boil-water advisory last summer.
Premier Tim Houston said it’s “unacceptable and embarrassing” that for the second time in a year, residents were subject to a boil-water advisory owing to power failures at Halifax Water.
“My thoughts are with those whose surgeries were delayed and the emotional toll it has had on them and their families,” he wrote in a statement, adding that the province is considering invoicing Halifax Water to recover costs for the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
“Nova Scotians expect reliable services for the fees they pay and that reliability was not delivered.”
The boil-water advisory led to the cancellation of 220 surgeries and clinical procedures, which had to be rescheduled, Nova Scotia Health spokesperson Keith Corcoran said in a statement. Procedures deemed urgent or for high-risk patients still went ahead, he added.
The board sent a letter to Halifax Water director of regulatory compliance services Kenda MacKenzie on Tuesday asking her to file a report explaining the root cause of the interruption, the steps taken in anticipation of the planned Nova Scotia Power outage, and the corrective measures.
Ms. MacKenzie did not respond to a request for an interview.
Ms. Smith was also unavailable for an interview. Instead, she provided a statement saying Halifax Water’s focus is completing an investigation report for the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, which will be shared with the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Halifax Water Board of Commissioners and the Halifax Regional Council.
“As we continue to gather information about the incident, there are no other details to share until the report is submitted on February 4, 2025,” she wrote, adding that the public report will provide insight into many of the questions raised, including what happened and how it will be prevented in the future.
“Halifax Water wants to apologize for this significant event and its impact on people’s lives.”
In a September, 2024, report on the earlier incident at the water supply plant, the utility found electrical and mechanical failures, fundamental design constraints and other compounding factors, including staff shortages, that led to the disruption of chlorine disinfection on July 1, 2024.
It recommended 16 corrective measures, including plans to be completed in the short term that would protect in case of power failure: installing a standby electrical system, which would remove the need for a portable gas-powered generator, and installing an uninterrupted power supply. It’s unclear whether those had been completed, but in its Sept. 19 report, Halifax Water said temporary solutions were in place.
Halifax Water is required to produce a final report regarding the most recent incident for the board by March 21.
With a report from The Canadian Press