The Steinbach Waterworks Department will be testing the city's water distribution system Wednesday through Friday this week. Mike Heppner, Waterworks Department Head, says a fire truck will be connected to a hydrant and will create a very high volume flow. He explains this is part of the design process for a second water treatment plant to be built at the corner of Park Road and Keating Road in the next year or two. Heppner says the test will serve two purposes.

"One is to find out where that new water treatment plant system water will be going when we hook it up and start flowing into the distribution system, how far it will be making it into the system. The other one is what they call a modelling program, a computer program that will help engineers, when they're designing developments, know what size of piping to put in for proper demand and/or fire protection and also where the city needs to start putting trunk line water supply systems to larger developments or future areas."

Heppner says there is a chance the high volume flow during the test will shake loose some iron in the pipes and that could lead to discolouration of the water coming out of peoples' taps.

"Up until 2005, there was a certain level of iron making it into the distribution system that, over time, settled and collected on the walls of the pipe. In 2005, we put a new plant in that started removing considerably more iron from the water and reduced that. There is still some iron from the years that is attached to the wall and, when we create a high flow like this, it causes that to dislodge. With that particulate in the water, then you get the discolouration coming to the taps."

He adds the water will still be safe to drink but may have a slight metallic taste. Heppner says they will monitoring this closely and, if too much iron becomes dislodged, they will shut down the test.

The testing will be done between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day.