Alberta town fined after failing to to report malfunctions in water distribution system

A municipality in southern Alberta and a former worker have pleaded guilty to charges linked to monitoring the safety of the community’s water distribution system.

The Town of Bow Island was charged under provincial environment laws for failing to take samples of drinking water that are used to determine if it is free of bacteria.

READ MORE: Fecal bacteria leads to advisories at multiple Alberta lakes, including Wabamun and Pigeon 

It was also charged with providing false or misleading information and failing to report structural or equipment malfunctions.

The town pleaded guilty in provincial court to the failing to report charge.

It has been fined $10,000 and placed under a 2 1/2-year probation order that will check the town’s compliance with monitoring and reporting requirements.

Former town employee Ryan Sanderson pleaded guilty to one count of providing false or misleading information and has been sentenced to six months in jail to be served in the community.

The statement of facts in the case indicates that Alberta Environment determined that the town’s Drinking Water Safety Plan and Operations Program had not been updated for years.

It found that 132 chlorine samples were missed between 2014 and 2017, some monthly reports were not made in 2015 and that the annual report for part of 2016 included test results that had been copied from previous tests.

The Crown says the town put systems in place in 2018 to confirm it is meeting regulatory obligations.

Watch below: Some Global News videos about water quality.

2:23 Investigation leads to questions about safety of children’s drinking water in Alberta

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