Town of Kindersley workers were busy Friday restoring service to residents of Eighth Street West.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
There have been three water main breaks during the 2017-18 fall and winter season with the most recent one at the corner of Eighth and Third Street West.
Water service was disrupted on Jan. 5 to several residents of Eighth Street West, all residents of King Drive and to one address on Second Street West as a result of the break. A road closure was in effect while crews worked to repair the water line to restore service.
Kim Vogel, the town’s director of transportation and environment, said the town notified affected residents about the water break, and the potential for a precautionary drinking water advisory to take effect after service was restored.
She noted that the town did not have to issue a precautionary drinking water advisory because the water line did not have to be breached for crews to complete the repair. If a line is breached and opened up to the elements during the repair, a precautionary drinking water advisory has to be issued.
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Another water main break occurred on Second Street East near Second Avenue East in the early part of December. Vogel said there was also a problem with a valve along the line on Second Street West, so the task to repair the line was more challenging.
The town’s first water main break of the fall-winter season occurred on Second Avenue West at the end of September. Repairs proved to be a challenge with several other leaks popping up along the line, Vogel said.
Repairs to the line could not be made, so the town decided to replace an entire section of the water main, she noted. Council members ended up passing a resolution at a special meeting on Oct. 2 to authorize the expenditure of up to $100,000 for emergency water main repairs on Second Avenue.
In terms of the most recent break on Eighth Street, the repairs were completed in the evening on Jan. 5 and service was restored at that time. However, Vogel said another leak occurred on Eighth Street West near King Drive on Jan. 8, but that was fixed on Monday.
The town includes money in its annual operating budgets for water main repairs because breaks are anticipated during the year, but reserve funds could also be accessed, Vogel said. The town has a capital plan in progress to replace its aging underground water infrastructure, she explained. Weather has an impact on the lines.
“It usually happens a lot when you have fluctuations of temperatures,” she said, recognizing that changes in temperature affect the frost in the ground and breaks occur when the ground shifts. “It’s definitely not uncommon.”
She said it is typical for breaks to occur at certain times of year and the breaks will often occur one after the other at those times. Vogel said another challenge this year is a lack of snow. The snow insulates the ground, so it helps to keep the frost from penetrating deeper into the ground, she noted.
When a break occurs, the town notifies residents with door knockers and people are always warned that a precautionary drinking water advisory could come as a result of the break, said Vogel. She added that updates are then posted on the town’s website.
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