Pipe repairs send black particles through Moncton's water

Black sediment has recently appeared in Moncton's tap water. The city says it's caused by work here on pipes that supply drinking water to thousands of people. So is it safe to consume? 100%. We are in full communication with the medical officer of health and our regulators and following all testing protocols. One of our older line is 1964 era. Moncton's director of water distribution says a recent inspection found parts of the decades old pipe that need to be fixed. The repair work is on one of two large underground concrete pipes that bring drinking water from a treatment plant south of Riverview north to Riverview, Moncton and Dieppe. The work underway in Riverview has led to water flow changing through the pipes. That can cause some disruptions of turbulence, some air in the line. We're changing direction of flows. We are also, there's remnants of manganese from pre-treatment, which is pre-1995, still remaining a little bit on the transmission lines. We get to see the treatment process, how the water is post-treatment. The water system is monitored in real time, and Stokes says the manganese is within acceptable levels. The health department didn't provide an interview, but in a statement from the city, a regional medical officer of health says there are no health risks associated with the discoloration. The repairs are meant to avoid pipes failing like two years ago in Calgary, when a catastrophic failure of a similar pipe led to flooding, water use restrictions, and boil orders. The repair work is expected to take several weeks, with Moncton warning that there are likely other times people will see discoloration in the water.