A faulty valve caused a sewage backup in Dawson City on Monday, flooding the screening facility and prompting a boil-water advisory in the town.
“It was a big mess,” said Mayor Wayne Potoroka on Tuesday. “There was sewage coming out the back door again - different building this time.”
The last time Dawson had to deal with a big, stinky mess was in Feb. 2013, when an issue at the new sewage treatment plant caused a backup. The facility has been plagued with problems, including failed water quality tests, since operations began in the fall of 2012.
This time the issue was at the old screening facility, at the place where a valve is supposed to isolate that facility from the main line.
“It’s somewhere in there that things went a little bit catawampus,” said Potoroka.
It’s too early to say if the valve issue was or was not related to ongoing operational issues at the new plant, he said.
The boil-water advisory was made as a precaution, said Potoroka.
“There’s no indication that our water supply has been compromised in any way.”
Residents have been advised to bring water to a rolling boil for two minutes before using it for drinking, preparing food, doing dishes or brushing teeth.
The advisory will remain in place until test results on the city’s water prove it is safe to drink.
Updates will be posted to Mayor Wayne Potoroka Facebook page.