St. Stephen boil water order extended; St. George now clear

St. Stephen’s boil water order is now expected to stay in place longer than planned.

In an update released Wednesday, the Municipal District of St. Stephen reported that water in the distribution system is starting to stabilize, but some areas still have levels above what is considered acceptable.

The municipality stated that the issue began over the weekend when water was diverted from the Maxwell Crossing pump station through the Valley Road Reservoir and into town.

That movement pushed sediment levels higher than normal, and the municipality said it must see improvement in local testing before third‑party testing can begin.

Outside testing cannot start until local results show the water has cleared enough to produce accurate readings, according to the municipality.

It also noted that holiday schedules may affect the availability of testing facilities and Department of Health staff, which could slow the process.

Because of the remaining high levels and the holiday delays, the municipality said the original goal of lifting the boil order by January 2 is no longer achievable.

The new target is January 7, though the municipality said it will try to shorten that timeline if conditions improve sooner.

The boil water order will remain in effect until the issue is resolved.

A separate boil water order in St. George has now been lifted. That order had applied to Brunswick Street from civic numbers 1 to 151 and began on the weekend.

The municipality confirmed it ended on Wednesday morning.