Creelman, Sask. residents finally drinking water from tap

There is finally some refreshing news for the village of Creelman, Sask.

Creelman has been under a boil water advisory for the past nineyears.

Pat Hume, mayor of Creelman, said the village gets its water from a dugout before it isprocessed in a pump house. However, the pump house needed a $200,000 upgrade, which the village couldn't afford.

"Coming out here you have to plan ahead," Hume said. "We have a trip planned to Weyburn, OKlet's grab four or five empty water bottles and fill up and bring them back."

But, as of Monday, people in the village can drink the water right out of the tap.

It's all thanks to Kevin Clarke, a local farmer who had no experience in water treatment. It took a little science and a lot of tenacity, but Clarke figured out how to get the plant up to Saskatchewan's health and safety codes.

"Every water has it's own personality and there's a part of it you have to figure out," Clarke said.

There are 34 locations in Saskatchewan that are under a long-term precautionary Drinking Water Advisory. Creelman was taken off the list earlier this week.

"I'm happy that after we went to council and told them we gotta do this and we gotta do that, that we were able to make it all come together in the end," Clarke said.

Creelman is about 117 kilometres southeast of Regina.