Town of Millet, Alta., under boil water advisory after water main break at service yard

UPDATE: The town lifted the boil water advisory on Sunday, May 26.

The town of Millet in central Alberta is under a boil water advisory after a water main broke at a service yard facility Thursday afternoon.

Town officials turned off the water Friday morning and the main was repaired by early afternoon, said Mayor Doug Peel in an interview with CBC News.

The advisory is expected to be in place until at least Monday, he said, when health officials are available to sample and test the water.

Residents and visitors are asked to boil water for at least one minute before drinking it, brushing teeth, washing raw foods, giving water to pets, preparing infant formula, or making ice and coffee.

Water used for bathing or washing clothes does not need to be boiled, the advisory says.

About 1,900 people live in the town, 50 kilometres south of Edmonton.

Alberta Health Services issued the boil advisory Friday afternoon, as a result of a loss in water pressure throughout the distribution line.

"Until normal water supply is restored, all residents and businesses within the community are advised to bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute prior to any consumption," the AHS advisory says.

The advisory will remain in effect until further notice, AHS says.

Boiling water is a safety measure to kill bacteria in the water that was exposed when the line broke, Peel noted.

"Be vigilant," he said. "Get a big pot, boil it up and then put it into containers and make sure there's one in every bathroom for brushing your teeth."

Every door, every entrance

Peel said staff from the parks department got the word out directly.

"We taped the water advisory notice to be boiled on everybody's door and it took about an hour and a half to do the whole town."

Neighbouring jurisdictions of Leduc and Wetaskiwin lent the town electronic signs to put on the side of the road, Peel said.

Peel didn't know why or how the water main broke.