Residents of Laval, who were banned from using water for more than 48 hours because a chemical leaked into the water, complain about their city’s poor communication, which took hours or even days to inform them of the danger made some sick.
“I find it incredible that a city the size of Laval is not more responsible,” complains Ervin Mak, a resident of the Sainte-Dorothée district in Laval.
He lives in the area of more than 2,200 homes, which as of Thursday afternoon were affected by a water ban warning issued Tuesday. That day, an extinguisher used by firefighters on a fire in the area entered the water system.
An investigation into the situation was launched on Monday. Nicholas Borne, a councilor who represents the district, said “human error” by the fire service was to blame.
Late Thursday afternoon, the city announced it was lifting the no-use notice but was sticking with a no-use notice after testing was conducted.
Alarmed by a white foam
According to testimonies collected by Le Journal, citizens noticed the presence of white foam very early on Tuesday morning when they opened their taps.
A resident of Laval in Sainte-Dorothée saw this white foam in his shower when he turned on the water on September 26, 2023. With kind approval
However, several residents regret that they were never contacted by the city to inform them of this situation.
Ervin Mak had just received a paper copy of the September 26 notice at his address on Thursday, two days later, when Le Journal met him.
“When I talk to a lot of people in the neighborhood, there is no one who has been notified by the city. What would it have been like to put a sign at the entrance to the neighborhood saying that the water is not suitable for consumption? » he protests.
Although Mr. Mak is enrolled in the city’s SMS notification system, he says he has not received any water-related messages through it.
Stéphane Legault, a resident of the neighborhood, learned of the notice’s existence when he opened Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. “We should have been told within the first two hours when we were leaving, what product was in the water,” he complains.
Resident Stéphane Legault came to collect gallons of water in the park. Photo Olivier Faucher
Nicholas Borne reiterates that communication concerns will be analyzed when assessing this situation.
“I would have liked all citizens to be informed as quickly as possible,” he admits.
Irritated skin and stomach pain
A few hours after publishing the notice on its website on Tuesday, the city of Laval told the Journal that the measure was primarily preventive in nature. She would not confirm what product might have entered the aqueduct.
On Thursday, Laval Public Health confirmed that the extinguishing agent had indeed entered the water and that it was “F-500,” a non-toxic product but one that could cause symptoms. Around fifteen reports, including several reporting symptoms, have been recorded since Monday.
“It can still be irritating to the gastrointestinal tract,” explained Fabien Gagnon, medical advisor. The few calls I was able to confirm myself involved people drinking the water before they knew they shouldn’t. They reported slight irritation in the throat and skin area. »
A resident, who asked to remain anonymous because of her work, said she became ill Tuesday morning after drinking the water.
“At 1:30 p.m. I knew there was a problem because a citizen saw foam in their water. The city never notified us. I didn’t sleep all night because my stomach hurt so much. »
Private shower
There was impatience Thursday morning as citizens came to collect gallons of water that city workers were handing out at a park.
Photo Olivier Faucher
“I haven’t showered since Monday, so I can’t wait!” said Thérèse Bernier, 86 years old.
“It’s been three days, it’s getting long,” said Stéphane Legault, who was preparing to take a shower in one of the two arenas made available to citizens by the city.