The Stocking Lake water main has ruptured and is in need of urgent repair.
It was discovered that the main ruptured on Saturday June 15. Not much water spilled from the rupture. Stocking Lake water levels dropped by 2.8 centimetres as a result.
The rupture is believed to be caused by a problem valve at the balancing reservoir. Work will be done to repair the valve and replace the ruptured main. 100 metres of main will be replaced because ruptures can impact the main further up and down stream from where the rupture occurred. The new pipes will be retained for future work to twin the existing main scheduled for 2020. At Town council’s June 17 meeting, council voted in favour of awarding the $150,000 contract to Stalker Excavating based on cost and timeliness of the contract.
Stocking Lake is Ladysmith’s winter water source. If the work is not completed before winter, the Town would have to rely on the new water filtration plant as the only source of water for Ladysmith, a situation that would strain the facility. Because of this, Town council deemed the project necessary to move forward as soon as possible. Sections of Stocking Lake trail have been closed so the work can proceed.
This is not the only water main replacement the Town is working on.
The Baden Powell Street water main will soon be replaced.
Originally, the replacement work was schedule in two phases, but Town Council voted to complete both phases of the project at the same time, as there is enough money in Town reserves to fund both phases without impacting other ongoing projects.The total budget for the work is $356,000 with additional funds to come from the Warren Street project and a 2019 projected water surplus.
Phase one of the project was to replace the Baden Powell water main that runs from 6th Avenue to 4th Avenue. Phase two was for work on the pressure reducing valve at 2nd Avenue. Work on both areas will be completed at the same time. Construction is expected to take 60 days.
When work on the 4th Avenue and Rocking Creek Crossing is factored in, 2019 has been one of the busiest years of waterworks projects in Ladysmith’s history. The existing infrastructure is aging, and climate change is adding extra stress to the system. Town council has said that replacing aging water infrastructure is a core priority of their mandate.