Virden eyes solution to arsenic problem

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This article was published 10/01/2020 (2404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Town of Virden is once again hoping it has found a solution to its seemingly never-ending woes over arsenic in its drinking water.

Virden Mayor Murray Wright said Wednesday that, with the help of the provincial government, they have found a new source well that might finally do the trick.

“It’s preliminary as of yet,” Wright said. “It sounds like it’s going to be good, but water has been sent to Toronto for tests, so we can’t really say yes, or no or maybe.”

But, he added: “It is positive so far.”

The other part of the equation is how much water is there, and they hope to find that out in March, Wright said, adding one option that has also been considered is supplementing the existing well with water from the new well, thus dropping the level of arsenic further.

The town has for years dealt with arsenic levels that surpass maximum concentrations set out Health Canada; a limit that tends to change from time to time. 

A Water Quality Notice was issued on Dec. 11 by Manitoba Health in conjunction with the Office of Drinking Water after concentrations of arsenic in treated water were above Health Canada’s maximum acceptable concentration of 0.01 mg/L.

A public information meeting was held Dec. 18 to apprise residents of what is happening in relation to the town’s arsenic problem. Representatives from the Manitoba Office of Drinking Water, Manitoba Health and Associated Engineering were in attendance at the meeting to provide information and answer questions.

“We’re monitoring the arsenic level very closely, and it does go up and down,” the mayor said.

“It is something Mother Nature does control, and we just try to keep with technology to alleviate as much of it as possible.”

In addition to finding a new water source, the town is changing some filters in the water treatment system.

“Gradually, over time, they have to be replaced,” Wright said. “I’m sure that’ll help, and with the new well, if the tests all come back positive, it’ll be a step forward to help get this (arsenic problem) alleviated.”

Wright said he would like to see the new system up and running by early summer.

The cost of tying in the new well with the town’s water treatment system is estimated at around $6.2 million.

Wright said they are hoping for provincial and federal assistance to help with the cost, with the balance be paid through levies and the like.

“If we can get the right water with the right quantity of water with the arsenic levels down where they should be, it’ll be a long-term investment,” he said. “And that’s what we’re looking at … something that’s going to last for 10 or 15 or 20 years and hopefully not keep having to change things and spend more money.

“But we’ll do what we have to do to make sure the water is safe for the people of Virden to drink.”

In 2010, a $1.8-million upgrade to the town’s water treatment plant was expected to solve the problem.

“It has been a long time coming,” then-mayor Bruce Dunning told The Brandon Sun at the time. “Hopefully this cures all the problems we’ve encountered in the past and we can move forward.”

Unfortunately, it did not.

Arsenic levels were above the maximum allowed concentration in 2012, when Health Canada further reduced the allowable limit of arsenic in drinking water. That prompted a drinking water advisory. 

Problems arose again from August 2017 until April 2018, when arsenic in Virden’s water remained above the recommended limit. 

A Manitoba government fact sheet noted that most of the arsenic found in Manitoba well water occurs naturally. It is the result of water coming into contact with soil or rock that contains arsenic. Occasionally, arsenic in well water may be a result of commercial or industrial operations, or the use or disposal of arsenic-containing products such as pesticides.

At the maximum level recommended by Health Canada, it is estimated that three to 39 people in 100,000 people may develop cancer related to arsenic exposure in drinking water in their lifetime. Exposure to arsenic in drinking water, even at levels lower than Health Canada’s guideline, may result in a very low risk of developing cancer over a lifetime.

Private well owners are not legally required to meet the standard, but where levels are high, a treatment device or other corrective action is recommended.

» brobertson@brandonsun.com, with files from Jillian Austin