The regional water line situation continues to be like a nagging piece of loose thread for the Town of Bashaw.
At council’s meeting on Jan. 4, Mayor Penny Shantz and Coun. Lynn Schultz reported on the December meeting of the Highway 12/21 Regional Water Services Commission they attended as Bashaw representatives, noting that the commission is pushing for the town to get connected as soon as possible.
“The sense we got was that (the commission) wants to have us hooked up before they put in the balancing chamber. They seem very anxious to get us online,” Schultz said.
Meanwhile, Shantz added that work is now scheduled to be done in March.
Town foreman Murray Holroyd went a bit further into the issue during his report to council later, explaining he’s been updated on the issue since that meeting was held.
He stated the commission wants Bashaw brought onto the system before the end of January, although that is yet to be confirmed.
Bashaw has been fairly consistent in its request to the commission to wait until the balancing chamber is operational, along with warmer weather, to be connected due mostly to the necessity to flush the water system.
It was explained by Holroyd there are two options the town has if the commission insists on the late January date.
“Flushing now would see the commission pay for the water used, but it’s not going to be fun,” he said.
“We would love to wait until it’s warmer, but they really want to get it done.”
He added it could be done now, either by selecting a couple of hydrants to flush or doing the entire system which could cause numerous problems including ice build up on streets, frozen storm drains or hydrants and possible damage to the distribution system — something no one is sure if the commission would pay for if it occurred as a result of the flushing.
And damage is a real possibility Holroyd stated, as there are at least seven hydrants that would need to be pumped out following the work due to the inability to properly drain because of a high water table.
Another issue is that flushing in the spring, while it may cost upwards of $11,000 for the town in water, matches the current schedule the town has for this work. As per provincial regulations, municipal water systems must flush lines at least twice annually as a check on the integrity of hydrants and fire protection systems.
Councillors Rob McDonald and Darren Pearson weren’t impressed, both believing the town will take the heat from residents about what they have done to the streets in the middle of winter.
It isn’t known if the town will take these concerns back to the commission.