The City of Port Alberni expects to have its main water supply pipe fixed by B次元官网网址渢he end of the dayB次元官网网址� on Friday (March 10).
City crews and contractors worked through the night to replace approximately 10 metres of water pipe that was severed after an empty logging truck went over an embankment on Franklin River Road midday March 9. The driver escaped with minor injuries.
The city instituted Stage 3 water restrictions within hours of the incident in an effort to conserve water.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e asked members of the community to drastically reduce their water consumption to just anything thatB次元官网网址檚 essential,B次元官网网址� Mayor Sharie Minions said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e asked people to hold off on showers, running the dishwasher or washing dishes while we get this line repaired. ItB次元官网网址檚 obviously a critical line of water into the community and we want to make sure we have enough time to repair it before water runs low.B次元官网网址�
Rob Dickinson, city director of engineering and public works, said the city already had most of the parts needed to replace the broken watermain; the rest of the parts came from Nanaimo and Courtenay public works departments.
Approximately 12 homes and businesses on Franklin River Road have been without water since the accident shortly after noon on March 9. Colin Murray, whose property is around a kilometre away from the site, is one of those residents.
Murray said he learned about the incident when the firetrucks and ambulances passed his driveway with lights and sirens flashing. A contact who lives closer to the scene sent him a text to alert him to the watermain break. B次元官网网址淭hey told me to fill up everything I had with water because I was going to be out any minute, but it was too late.B次元官网网址�
Murray improvised a water system for his property. B次元官网网址淚 put a siphon hose in the culvert coming across the road and plumbed it into my house,B次元官网网址� he said.
The city lost approximately 5,000 cubic metres of water after the pipe was severed and before the emergency shutoff turned off the water.
Neither Minions nor Dickinson could provide an estimate of how much the repair is costing. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just in the process of getting water back up and running and weB次元官网网址檒l be reviewing (costs).B次元官网网址�
Dickinson said the city reservoir B次元官网网址渉as about a day left of water. Normally we have about four days of water; unfortunately when this occurred we lost some of the water during that process.B次元官网网址�
One day of reserve water B次元官网网址渋s adequate to maintain our services,B次元官网网址� he added.
Minions said maintaining Stage 3 water restrictions will help keep the reservoir at an acceptable level.
The city does have a plan in place if the work cannot be completed on Friday. B次元官网网址淲e go to higher restrictions. We would make that determination in four to six hours,B次元官网网址� Dickinson said.
B次元官网网址淲e have an alternative option that we will consider if we have to,B次元官网网址� Minions said, which is pumping water from a pumping station on the Somass River into the cityB次元官网网址檚 system.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not an ideal option, so itB次元官网网址檚 really important that members of the community conserve water,B次元官网网址� she added. B次元官网网址淏ut we wonB次元官网网址檛 run out of water.B次元官网网址�
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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