A water main break late Friday afternoon left hundreds of Lloydminster residents and businesses without water until late into the evening.
As service was restored, the City of Lloydminster said it would contact each affected household individually to notify them of a Drinking Water Advisory.
That’s not what residents experienced.
Multiple community members told BorderPulse they heard nothing from the city about the advisory. Some learned about it through social media posts. Others found out by searching the city website – hours after the fact.
“Would have been nice if the city would have let us know sooner since we have been drinking it all day,” Meagan, a resident who was affected, wrote in a public comment on the BorderPulse Facebook post.
Karrie, another resident, said she had no idea an advisory was even in place.
“The city needs to better notify people, especially when it can affect their health,” she wrote.
A reader who lives in the affected area spoke with neighbours at a nearby condo building. None had received any notice of the advisory.
BorderPulse also observed no posted signage in the affected area indicating a Drinking Water Advisory was in effect.
At 9:14 p.m. Friday, the city posted an update to its website noting a non-potable water trailer had been set up at 4090 41 Street for residents to use for toilet flushing. That update also never appeared on the city’s social media accounts.
The city operates active accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. None were used to communicate the advisory or any related updates over the weekend.
The Drinking Water Advisory remains in effect as of this morning. The city confirmed mains must be flushed and bacteriological testing completed before it can be lifted.
What the city says it did
Asked how residents were notified, the city said door hangers were hand-delivered to every affected residence and business. Printed letters were also delivered where door hanger supplies ran out. Where possible, crews spoke directly with residents. Affected businesses were also contacted individually by phone.
The city said it does not subscribe to a paid mass notification system such as CodeRed or Voyent Alert. It said its standard protocol gives priority to direct communication with affected residents, supplemented by updates on the city website.
Asked why media organizations and city social media were not used to spread the advisory over the weekend, the city said the disruption was localized and not a city-wide emergency.
It also pointed residents toward a website subscription service.
“The News section of the City website also offers email subscription notifications for users – including media organizations – who wish to receive updates as they are posted,” the city said in a written response.
Asked whether any steps were missed, the city said it followed its established notification procedures.
The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency was notified of the advisory, the city confirmed.
Nyah Foote, Coordinator of Communications for the City of Lloydminster, confirmed the advisory remains in effect while regulatory requirements are completed.
“The City is diligently working through this process and will lift the DWA as soon as all regulatory requirements have been satisfied,” Foote said.
Residents in the affected area must continue to boil all water used for drinking, brushing teeth, washing raw foods and making ice. Bring water to a rolling boil and maintain it for at least one minute before use.
The city will issue a public notification once the advisory has been lifted.
Read more: Boil water advisory for some Lloydminster residents