Achi news desk-
Nova Scotia Health says water and heat have been restored to the Halifax QEII Hospital site Thursday evening.
The health authority says that a break in the main water supply occurred overnight and that the Hospital, the Veterans Memorial Building, and the Abbie J. Lane are without running water and steam.
“We had a main water pipe break inside the powerhouse building here at midday yesterday. There was a repair made to that and unfortunately a second main water pipe break occurred in the same pipe, in the same building around midnight,” said John Gillis, spokesman for the health authority.
Gillis says the latest outage also left the buildings without heat, which have since been restored.
According to a news release Thursday, water was also restored, but three days of testing will be required before tap water can be considered potable.
“Portable hand washing stations are available and portable restrooms are located near the main entrances. Bottled water is available on site,” reads an earlier statement from Nova Scotia Health.
Pipes are seen outside the Abbie J. Lane Memorial Building in Halifax on April 4, 2024. (Carl Pomeroy/CTV Atlantic)
The health authority noted that only urgent and time-sensitive surgeries will go ahead on Friday.
The emergency department remains open, although patients without urgent concerns are asked to go to other emergency departments.
Blood collection was closed at Halifax Hospital for Thursday. Blood collection will go ahead more or less where possible on Friday.
CTV News spoke with several staff members who declined to speak on camera but said it was cold inside the building. Many wore winter jackets and hats inside. They added that the biggest challenge is having to use toilets outside.
On Wednesday, a water line had broken in the site’s steam plant. The buildings were without water to drink or flush toilets for several hours.
Nova Scotia Health said water was restored around 8 pm, but staff and patients were advised not to drink it until it was tested.
With files from The Canadian Press.
