Ladysmith council members voted in favour of awarding a contract to an engineering firm to further plans to upgrade the Holland Lake Dam’s capacity and climate resiliency.
At a council meeting on Feb. 6, councillors voted to partner with Ecora Engineering and Resource Group in the amount of just over $1 million following a request for proposals.
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“This is the big piece to forward our climate resiliency, which is that we get so much rain in the winter, being able to restore [the water] and provide it when the summers are so hot and dry,” said Mayor Aaron Stone. “It’s such an important part to support both our existing and our future populations. It’s a big opportunity, a big step forward.”
He said the upgrades will help “dramatically” increase the dam’s water storage capabilities.
Ecora is expected to do site work and create a dam safety review, which is due every 10 years for dams of very high consequence. The dam is past due for review, and the provincial dam safety officer has requested the report as soon as possible, according to a staff report.
Coun. Tricia McKay talked about a trip council members took to the dam when they talked about how urgently the dam needed upgrades. She said it’s a good time to get started, and she hopes the town can get the nessessary funding to complete the project “sometime very soon.”
The funding to hire the engineer will be coming from reserves included in the water capital plan.
bailey.seymour@nanaimobulletin.com
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