Craik celebrates end of decade-long boil water advisory

Potable and palatable — that’s how the mayor of Craik describes the water that now flows from the town’s taps.

On May 2, a decade-long boil water advisory was lifted following upgrades to the community’s water treatment plant.

“Anything you washed ended up with white spots … your dishes always weren’t quite as crystal clean as you’d like them to be,” said David Ashdown in a phone interview on Saturday. “We have beautiful water now. Glasses come out of the dishwasher absolutely sparkling.”

That day, the town of about 400 people celebrated the achievement with food, music and various activities.

Since 2010, the town has struggled with its supply of clean drinking water, with many residents either buying it or installing home purification systems.

Craik previously had a solid water treatment plant, but Ashdown said it turned faulty and the company that built it filed for bankruptcy.

The mayor said this has stunted the town’s growth. In one example, he said the municipality was not allowed to subdivide parcels of land for as long as the advisory was in effect.

“If you’re encouraging somebody to move to your community and there’s not a good source of water, that’s a hindrance,” Ashdown said. “The first requirement for a community to thrive is that it has a good, safe, consistent water supply.”

Upgrades to the plant cost about $1.9 million. The federal government contributed $950,659, while the province and town spent about $475,000 each.

Ashdown said the town can now turn its attention to other priorities, like repairing roads and attracting new residents and businesses.

“It brightens up the future,” he said. “Not having an adequate water supply was always a hold back for us. We weren’t able to accomplish some of the other things we wanted to accomplish. Now, it’s opened up possibilities.”

Craik is located approximately 120 kilometres northwest of Regina.