Wabana water upgrades a 'dream come true' after a decades-long boil order

An unhealthy municipal water system in the Bell Island community of Wabana is slowly being rid of contaminants like arsenic, manganese and iron, with 150 households being removed this week from a quarter-century-old boil order.

Town leaders surprised more than 160 residents with the news during a volunteer appreciation dinner on Wednesday night.

"The room went up," said Linda Spencer, a widow who has lived on Valley Hill Road since the early 1970s, and has struggled to keep potable drinking water in her home.

Phase 3 of an expensive water system upgrade is complete, with new wells, pumps, filters and pipes, and testing shows the water meets Canadian drinking water guidelines.

That means about 250 residents — many of whom are elderly — who live in 150 homes in an area of town known as The Green and The Valley can now turn on their taps and pour up a glass of clear, safe water.

"It's a dream come true," said Spencer, who described the water pouring from her tap on Thursday as "amazing, wonderful."

They join about 200 other households who were connected to a new water supply in earlier phases of the upgrade.

Phase 4 is also underway, with dozens more homes in an area known as The Front expected to receive a fresh supply of water later this year.

So far, nearly $7 million has been spent on upgrades, said Mayor Philip Tobin, with the town paying a 10 per cent share. The provincial and federal governments covered most of the cost.

"To finally get here now to this day and say we can lift this order is amazing to be a part of," Tobin told CBC News on Thursday.

The drinking water problem has been a stain on Wabana's reputation for an entire generation. Residents were tired of turning on their taps and seeing a liquid that resembled cola or motor oil splattering into their sinks, and clothes sometimes looking dirtier when it emerged from the washer.

For years, residents like Spencer have been forced to trek — with empty water jugs and buckets in hand — to a dispensing station in the centre of town for clean water. 

And that poses a big problem if you're elderly and you don't have a vehicle, and you have to depend on others, said Spencer.

"It was not easy to get water," she said.But on Thursday morning, Spencer went to her kitchen and felt great relief at being able to turn on her tap, and know the water was safe to drink, and that she no longer has to worry about fetching water.