Watch the water-

Railway work stoppage could spark new boil water advisories within days, industry spokesperson says

"The impacts on municipalities' ability to provide clean drinking water [to] Canadians started last week," said Greg Moffatt, executive vice-president of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, in a Thursday interview with CTV Your Morning. "Ninety-six per cent of Canadians get clean drinking water provided by municipalities, and that's dependent on a functioning chlorine value chain."

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Treatment troubles

Local governments rely on chlorine and its derivatives to treat their water, and while Moffatt says a typical water authority keeps between 10 and 14 days' worth of those chemicals on hand, the only way they can transport and replenish those supplies legally is via rail – supplementing by truck is not an option.

To make matters worse, that two-week timer didn't start Thursday morning, he notes. Because potentially hazardous chemicals like chlorine aren't allowed to sit on the tracks halfway to their destination, those supply chains began drawing down early in anticipation of the lockout, meaning there may only be days left for some before stores begin to run low.

"The clock's ticking before municipalities will have to start issuing boil water advisories," Moffatt said. "It's not 10 to 14 days from this morning, it's 10 to 14 days from a week ago."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/railway-work-stoppage-could-spark-new-boil-water-advisories-within-days-industry-spokesperson-says-1.7010323