Over one million affected by boil-water advisory in Montreal

MONTREAL – Over one million Montrealers are affected by a boil-water advisory that covers a large swath of the city.

The municipal government has released the advisory, which applies to the lower half of the island, after problems at a water-filtration station.

Residents are advised to boil their water for at least a minute, or to use bottled water. They are also asked to avoid brushing their teeth with tap water.

However, tap water can still be used to wash dishes, take a shower or wash clothes.

The city says the advisory was prompted by abnormally low water levels as a filtration plant in the city’s west end, and discoloured water. Tests are being conducted on the water to determine whether it is, in fact, contaminated.

It’s the second major infrastructure problem in the city in less than 24 hours.

The previous evening, the city’s metro system suffered a complete shutdown at the height of rush hour because of a computer problem.

There was yet another glitch today: the city website, which carried the water advisory, appeared to be down.