Door-to-door water testing is a scam, says the City of Calgary

If someone knocks on your door claiming to be from the city of Calgary and wants to check your water, don't answer, the city says.

City officials say they have received more than a dozen reports through 311 and Enmax about home service companies or people claiming to be city employees.

“They test the water and say they need a home treatment system and suggest they buy some products that their companies have approved,” said Natasha Kinloch, the city's director of operations and maintenance for drinking water distribution.

“This is a scam. The City of Calgary does not approve of it.”

Kinloch said if city staff need to test the water for any reason, they usually call ahead and make an appointment before arriving at a designated City of Calgary vehicle. He said all employees have IDs that show they are city employees.

So if someone wants to test your water and they're not officially in town, don't open the door they advise.

“We recommend that Calgarians stay indoors and call Calgary police immediately to report activity,” he said.

He also said not to worry because Calgary water is drinkable.

“We have a team that monitors drinking water throughout the system on a daily basis. We take this commitment very seriously. We just want to make sure Calgarians know that our drinking water quality is meeting or bettering all federal and provincial health guidelines.

If something goes wrong with the city's water, it will be reported through official channels, Kinloch said.

– CALGARY NEWS | The ministry contacted WestJet regarding the transgender passenger's departure

– CALGARY NEWS | The driver, filmmaker who killed the chef in Calgary should tell his story and spend 1 month in jail.

– Read CBC Calgary articles, like us on Facebook for updates and subscribe to the CBC Calgary newsletter for daily news at a glance.

With files from Brooks DeCillia