Steve Raut makes lunch a little differently these days, reaching for bottled water rather than his taps.
He’s one of hundreds of people in Saint-Sauveur, Que. and many more across a dozen municipalities grappling with questions about their water quality.
The private wells residents rely on are no longer being maintained after Aqua-Gestion’s owner suddenly stopped servicing them, saying he is too sick to carry on.
Three weeks ago, Raut’s power went out and, when it came back, what poured out of his taps scared him.
“My water and a couple of neighbours’ became black, like, China ink black,” he says.
Raut’s water now runs clear, but he’s still wary.
“It doesn’t mean that it’s drinkable. You know, we don’t know what’s in there.”
Slim Williams is dealing with the same issue.
“I’m cautious of taking showers but I have to,” he says. ”We really don’t know what’s happening with that, so it changes everything.”
The Ministry of Environment has mandated the town to take over the wells but officials say the transition could take up to a year.
In the meantime, there’s a boil water advisory in place and the municipality is looking for companies to test the water.
CTV News reached out to the ministry to ask how Aqua-Gestion met its quality control standards. A spokesperson said they need more time, but Saint-Sauveur residents want answers now.
They’re worried they’ll be forced to foot the bill for maintenance costs and patience is running thin.
“It cannot go for weeks and months. I mean, how can you live without water?” said Raut.
“It’s already been too long,” added Williams.
Residents blame the ministry, saying it was asleep at the wheel. Now, they’re stuck lugging home litres of water.
They don’t trust what’s coming out of their taps.
