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QC dealing with communications issue at water treatment plant

The village of Queen Charlotte is advising residents to avoid using bleach or bleach cleaning products following a weekend accident that has cut off communications with the water treatment plant. The water is safe for drinking and cooking.The accident happened on Saturday morning, with a truck knocking down a Telus line near the Honna Road. Because communications have been cut, the village has had to turn on its well pumps to supplement the treated water in the reservoir.Interim administrator Lori Wiedeman said a Telus repair crew should arrive Monday morning."We are in close contact with Telus to facilitate repairs as soon as possible," Ms. Wiedeman said. "Unfortunately, due to the Christmas holidays, there was not a qualified crew on island to deal with this unanticipated event."Ben Greenough, Superintendant of Public Works was notified right away by the truck driver involved and immediately contacted Telus. The well water is safe for drinking and cooking.However, residents are advised to avoid using bleach or bleach cleaning products until the water treatment plant is back up and running. This is due to the high mineral content in the water that can cause laundry staining when combined with bleach.Updates will be posted on the Village of Queen Charlotte webpage at www.queencharlotte.ca, our Village of Queen Charlotte Facebook page, and the Haida Gwaii Observer Facebook page."While it is unfortunate that this has happened, I am pleased with the fast reaction of our public works team and once the repairs are completed we will be reviewing options for ensuring this can't happen again," said mayor Greg Martin. "It also underscores our need to maintain our back-up well system."