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Well of Lies: The Walkerton Water Tragedy
This is the story of a system that failed utterly, at almost every level, and with fatal effect. People died, hundreds of others were made horribly sick, and for days, no one knew what was happening, or why. There were rumours about the water, but the Public Utilities Commission blandly assured callers that the water was okay. Which left investigators trying to figure out if the problem was tainted food – or something else.
Colin Perkel was among the first reporters to visit Walkerton when word finally got out that the water was poisoned. Using the interviews he conducted and the testimony given to the Walkerton Inquiry, Perkel has pieced together an authoritative and riveting account of the tragedy. He tells the story from the point of view of the people who lived through it. He shows how the virtues of a small town – its closeness, loyalty, tradition, and sense of community – contributed to the disaster. He shows how two brothers, Stan and Frank Koebel, were sustained by those virtues despite their own limitations. He provides a day-by-day account of the epidemic itself, the moments of heroism and good sense, and the instances of incompetence, wilful blindness, and plain stupidity.
A few heroes do emerge: the pediatrician who was thoughtful and worried enough to raise the alarm; the investigator who worked feverishly through a holiday weekend to find the source of the poison; even perhaps the reporter at the local radio station who broadcast the boil-water advisory. Neither the politicians – at any level –nor the bureaucrats in the Department of Environment and the health ministry come out very well. But Colin Perkel never loses sight of the fact that this story is about real people. And his account of what happened is always set in the context of the complicated lives of the people who lived through it. There are no villains in this story, but only flawed humans.
This is a superb piece of reporting. It deals with a tragedy that might have occurred – and might occur again – in virtually any community in Canada.
Colin Perkel was among the first reporters to visit Walkerton when word finally got out that the water was poisoned. Using the interviews he conducted and the testimony given to the Walkerton Inquiry, Perkel has pieced together an authoritative and riveting account of the tragedy. He tells the story from the point of view of the people who lived through it. He shows how the virtues of a small town – its closeness, loyalty, tradition, and sense of community – contributed to the disaster. He shows how two brothers, Stan and Frank Koebel, were sustained by those virtues despite their own limitations. He provides a day-by-day account of the epidemic itself, the moments of heroism and good sense, and the instances of incompetence, wilful blindness, and plain stupidity.
A few heroes do emerge: the pediatrician who was thoughtful and worried enough to raise the alarm; the investigator who worked feverishly through a holiday weekend to find the source of the poison; even perhaps the reporter at the local radio station who broadcast the boil-water advisory. Neither the politicians – at any level –nor the bureaucrats in the Department of Environment and the health ministry come out very well. But Colin Perkel never loses sight of the fact that this story is about real people. And his account of what happened is always set in the context of the complicated lives of the people who lived through it. There are no villains in this story, but only flawed humans.
This is a superb piece of reporting. It deals with a tragedy that might have occurred – and might occur again – in virtually any community in Canada.
- GenresNonfiction
248 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 25, 2020
Considering I could easily substitute the incompetent, uneducated, and self-important entitled staff and elected officials in this book with several people who are staff or prior (and some current) elected officials in my city...this book scared me badly. Lets see...we have a "good ol' boy" engineer that isnt an actual engineer with a huge ego that doesnt believe in keeping records and blies other staff and has had his hands in every road and water serwer project for 30 years..and where problems big and small he caused got swept under the rug...he coud be both the Koebel brothers...and so on.
Incompetence and the citizen complacency that tolerates and even forgives it is what will doom us.
Incompetence and the citizen complacency that tolerates and even forgives it is what will doom us.
January 5, 2020
Having lived in Walkerton up until September 1999, when I moved away for college, it was a difficult read that I’ve put off for a few decades. It’s a hard to get through when you know the names of those involved and the pain and suffering of friends and loved ones. If anyone worries about the state of practice of our government run systems and wants to know what complacency and cuts can do to our lives, this is a really great read. For those joke about “oh, Walkerton - the water thing”, this is a great read for you to scratch the surface of comprehension of what happened in this beautiful town.
December 30, 2017
Seven people from the Ontario town of Walkerton because of E. coli contamination of the water supply in May 2000. Thousands were ill and many of those have chronic kidney damage or other health problems. A heavy rainstorm caused backwash of manure into Well 7. Wells of Lies was published in 2002. In now reads like an extraordinary saga of incompetence, personality clashes and community conflict. I’m surprised that there has not been a major motion picture or drama produced based on the story.
The weight of blame goes to the management of the Public Utilities Commission. The manager, Stan Koebel, both allowed the conditions for the tragedy to occur and failed to respond to the initial reports of unsafe water. Perkel gives gives room for some sympathy for Koebel. The responsibility of the job was beyond his capabilities. The sacrifices of his struggles were a divorce and many weeks of unclaimed vacation time.
Stan’s brother Frank, PUC foreman, gets no sympathy. Although smarter than his younger brother, he was more the deceitful renegade. Although responsible for chlorination of the water, he did not believe in the public health benefits. It took him over a year to install a new chlorinator at the infamous Well 7. Lackadaisical and irresponsible action were possible in reaction to his brother’s seniority.
Another personality clash was between the assiduous public health inspector and the Medical Director of Health for the region. The inspector worked tirelessly during the evolving epidemic to determine the source. The Medical Director took a lot of the credit. He hastily gave blame to the PUC in national interview, stirring up anger when calm and reassurance was needed.
Stan Koebel falsified reports and ignored tests showing bacteria in the water. There was fault at other levels, like the elected local politicians and Premier Mike Harris’s privatization of water testing. The citizens of Walkerton were upset that Koebel was never charged and left his job with a handsome severance. He had a job beyond his abilities. Four other more qualified persons applied when the PUC awarded him the job. He was the local candidate. Those same citizens may have been upset if the job was awarded to an outsider.
The people of Walkerton were of course responsible for a complete explanation of what happened. Justice Dennis O’Connor was appointed to conduct a full judicial inquiry. It confirmed the loose management and “well of lies” of the PUC. There was also the privatization of municipal water testing. The recommendations of the inquiry has since given all residents of Ontario the assurance of safe drinking water, except perhaps on certain northern First Nations, an embarrassing fact.
The weight of blame goes to the management of the Public Utilities Commission. The manager, Stan Koebel, both allowed the conditions for the tragedy to occur and failed to respond to the initial reports of unsafe water. Perkel gives gives room for some sympathy for Koebel. The responsibility of the job was beyond his capabilities. The sacrifices of his struggles were a divorce and many weeks of unclaimed vacation time.
Stan’s brother Frank, PUC foreman, gets no sympathy. Although smarter than his younger brother, he was more the deceitful renegade. Although responsible for chlorination of the water, he did not believe in the public health benefits. It took him over a year to install a new chlorinator at the infamous Well 7. Lackadaisical and irresponsible action were possible in reaction to his brother’s seniority.
Another personality clash was between the assiduous public health inspector and the Medical Director of Health for the region. The inspector worked tirelessly during the evolving epidemic to determine the source. The Medical Director took a lot of the credit. He hastily gave blame to the PUC in national interview, stirring up anger when calm and reassurance was needed.
Stan Koebel falsified reports and ignored tests showing bacteria in the water. There was fault at other levels, like the elected local politicians and Premier Mike Harris’s privatization of water testing. The citizens of Walkerton were upset that Koebel was never charged and left his job with a handsome severance. He had a job beyond his abilities. Four other more qualified persons applied when the PUC awarded him the job. He was the local candidate. Those same citizens may have been upset if the job was awarded to an outsider.
The people of Walkerton were of course responsible for a complete explanation of what happened. Justice Dennis O’Connor was appointed to conduct a full judicial inquiry. It confirmed the loose management and “well of lies” of the PUC. There was also the privatization of municipal water testing. The recommendations of the inquiry has since given all residents of Ontario the assurance of safe drinking water, except perhaps on certain northern First Nations, an embarrassing fact.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews