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Water servicing completed ahead of schedule

Maintenance work on Summerland’s municipal water system progressed ahead of schedule on the weekend.
21742summerlandWaterworkers
Alex Bellemore

Maintenance work on Summerland’s municipal water system progressed ahead of schedule on the weekend.

The maintenance work, on Pressure Reducing Valve #10, had been scheduled for Friday evening until Monday morning.

On Saturday, the municipality reported the work was progressing as planned.

The water main was drained shortly after midnight and crews were able to begin the maintenance on the valve.

During the water shutdown, fire crews were called to a brush fire in the Bentley Road area, but there was enough water for the firefighting efforts.

Linda Tynan, chief administrative officer for the municipality, said there were some challenges for crews as they completed the work.

A crew was brought in to handle a downstream flange during the weekend maintenance.

“We can’t underestimate the complexity of this work,” Tynan said.

Despite the challenges, the work went better than expected.

By Sunday morning, the work had been completed and crews were testing the lines. By 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, the municipality reported the system had been fully pressurized and there was no longer a need to reduce consumption.

During the maintenance work, some homes in the Bentley Road and Sumac Ridge areas experienced a temporary loss of water as a result of a break in the water line.

There were also reports of intermittent water and air in the water lines at homes on Taylor Place and other properties at higher elevation.

Some homes had discoloured water as a result of the maintenance work. Linda Tynan, chief administrative officer for the municipality, said the discoloured water was expected to clear up quickly.

The water system servicing also resulted in a boil water notice for the community. That notice went into place on Monday, Feb. 27 as the chlorine was turned off at the water treatment plant.

While the work has been completed, the boil water notice remains in place.

Water samples will be tested every day and when the water quality reaches the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines, the boil water notice will be lifted. This is expected to occur between March 10 and March 17.

During the shutdown, the municipality had a communications centre set up at the Aquatic Centre.

In addition, drinking water was available at the centre during the weekend. Residents were told to bring large containers for the water.

Nesters Market donated 300 cases of bottled water to the community. The bottled water was available at the Aquatic Centre on a first come, first served basis during the weekend.

“The support from the community was unbelievable,” Tynan said.

She added that the mayor and council deserve credit for choosing to address the maintenance work now, rather than leaving it for a future council to handle.

 



John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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