Ayer's Cliff residents concerned about extended water ban

As thousands of people in the Eastern Townships make arrangements to find alternative sources of drinking water in light of the ban on Lake Massawippi, some residents in Ayer's Cliff are asking why they weren't warned sooner about the contaminated water.

On Thursday, public health authorities revised a strict ban on water drawn from the lake, which was contaminated with toxic blue-green algae bacteria. Tests confirmed the presence of cyanobacteria, but in quantities below what is considered to be dangerous to human health, officials said.

Authorities now recommend that until the end of October, people use their tap water for showers and washing dishes, but abstain from drinking or cooking with it, or using it to brush their teeth.

The ban was also extended to residents in Ayer's Cliff, a town near North Hatley, Hatley Township and Waterville, the three communities also subjected to the ban.

Why it took a week for authorities to include Ayer's Cliff in the warning is concerning to Lorraine Moore, a resident in the town.

"I find that scary. Should we have been notified last week, as a precaution?" Moore asked, as she filled a handful of containers with water from a truck parked outside Ayer's Cliff City Hall Thursday afternoon. "Maybe we should have been put on the same list as North Hatley."

Adding Ayer's Cliff to the list of towns named in the ban is a precaution, and residents shouldn't worry, said town councillor Roger Dumouchel.

"It's not drastic," said Dumouchel, who is in charge of hygiene and environment at Ayer's Cliff City Hall. "It's not an emergency yet, but it's a preventive notice."

Town authorities will provide drinking water for residents throughout the ban, Dumouchel added.