The recent cold snap is still taking its toll on the District of Wells.
Mayor Ed Coleman explains.
“We had three key incidents, two at residential and one at the RCMP station where severe cold, like -40, causing pipes to freeze and burst. Then we had also incidents as it warmed up, as you get the severe freezing and as it warms up it starts to move the pipes around a bit, like within a building or underground outside, and that can cause pipes to burst as well.”
Coleman says that then created some water issues.
“It drew our water volume down quite a bit, to the half way point, and obviously we have to flush our lines as well for keeping the lead levels at a safe level, so that’s part of it. So when you’re trying to do that, flush your lines plus you get these incidents, it draws your water down. That’s why communities, it’s good for them to have at least a couple of water towers, especially for a size like ours.”
Coleman says they have just the one well and tower right now.
“Yes it’s one well and it sends it quite a distance, multiple kilometres up to a water tower that’s above what we’d call the old hospital, 1930’s hospital up on the hillside. So it gets pumped up to there and you get static pressure down to the entire community from that tower.”
Coleman says a new water system is in the long term plans for Wells.
He says the fire hall also flooded a bit as a fair bit of water ended up in the crawl space.
Coleman says despite all of this, the water volume is now recovering.