Water emergency declared as barge sinks near Ontario town.
Thursday, March 30, 2017, 5:08 PM – Prince Edward County remains under a water emergency after fuel leaking from a partially sunken barge floated close to the Picton-Bloomfield Drinking Water System’s intake pipe.
The emergency was declared Tuesday, and the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit took a further step Thursday by issuing a boil water advisory, and the county will truck in potable water from other sources.
"Since varied water supply trucks will be used to shuttle water, the Boil Water Advisory is being implemented as a precautionary measure to reduce the risk from the possible introduction of bacteria to the drinking water system," the latest release from the county reads.
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Find out with The Weather Network’s 2017 Spring Forecast | FORECAST & MAPS HERE The Coast Guard says about 30 litres of residual oil was released into the water.
The system was temporarily shut down as a precaution Tuesday.
The plant resumed operations Wednesday morning, but was soon shut down again after the "discovery of a foul odor in the Picton raw water sampling line (an early warning system)," the county says.
"The pollutant released was residual oil and no further release has occurred since Friday."
A spring stormis expected to push in late Thursday into Friday for southern Ontario and could pose a problem for officials, as the booms are not designed to perform in choppy waters.