City of Owen Sound Media Release

In consultation with Grey Bruce Public Health, the City of Owen Sound’s precautionary boil water advisory has been lifted, effective immediately. 

The precautionary boil water advisory for the City of Owen Sound has been lifted based on an engineering assessment, conducted by Public Health Ontario and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), confirming adequate disinfection of the water. This confirms the water is safe to drink.

A precautionary boil water advisory, like the one issued in Owen Sound, is issued when there’s no confirmed contamination, but one or more of the water-testing parameters indicate there could be a risk to public health (in this case, the turbidity or cloudiness of the water).  A standard boil water advisory is issued when the presence of harmful pathogens has been confirmed in the drinking water supply.

No remedial actions need to take place, such as running taps or flushing systems, to restore home and building water systems. Residents can begin using tap water immediately. This includes using tap water directly for drinking, preparing food or beverages, making ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, brushing teeth or giving to pets.

Water conservation efforts are still encouraged.  This can include shorter showers, not running half-loads in dishwashers or washing machines, not flushing the toilet unnecessarily, etc.

Thank you to residents and businesses for your patience, compliance and ongoing conservation efforts.  The City would also like to thank Bruce Power, Ice River Springs, Grey County and Supportive Outreach Services, United Way Bruce Grey, OSHaRE, Salvation Army, and Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce in ensuring that our most vulnerable community members had access to bottled water.

Throughout this event, we are grateful for the collaboration of Grey Bruce Public Health and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for their direction and the Canadian Coast Guard ice breaking efforts in Georgian Bay.