The non-essential water ban imposed by EPCOR for Edmonton and the Capital Region was lifted Friday morning after it was expected to last through the weekend.
It was an electrical failure at the E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant at about 2 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 29 that caused the facility to go offline. A non-essential water ban was imposed on the region, and non- essential businesses who used water, such as laundromats and car washes, were asked to cease operations until the plant was put back online.
The E.L Smith plant began operation Friday morning after repairs were complete, and the ban was lifted shortly after.
Frank Mannarino, senior vice-president at EPCOR, said that the plant was designed to prevent these types of failures, but a set of “cascading events” caused problems that EPCOR is trying to find answers to.
EPCOR will begin a formal investigation into the failure of the E.L Smith plant next week and will present its findings to Edmonton’s Utility Committee on March 4.
