Water outage will affect everybody differently
Major repairs will interrupt town’s water supply for much of the weekend
An interruption of Summerland’s municipal watersupply system, which will affect thousands of homes and businesses this weekend, is being embraced as a blessing in disguise by the owners of a local restaurant.
Zias Stonehouse will be closed while the district’s water system undergoes repairs that will leave the community with a reduced supply of untreated water from other sources until at least Monday morning.
“The (water) pressure’s going to drop, so we can’t keep all our equipment running,” said Claude Ferlizza, whose wife owns the restaurant, which plans to reopen Tuesday.
But rather than take a break from the restaurant, he’ll use the time off to carry out building improvements.
“It’s kind of fortunate, because we’re renovating our back area — we’re putting in a banquet room and an extra kitchen — so it’s kind of like a mixed blessing for me,” said Ferlizza.
Other popular spots like The Beanery Cafe and Peacock’s Perch Pub will also be closed for the weekend, while Game 7 of the Summerland Steam and Kelowna Chiefs playoff series, if necessary, will be played Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton.
Summerland residents will at least still be able to get fresh baking and drinks at True Grain Bread, which is maintaining its regular Saturday opening.
“We partnered with Culligan, so we’ve brought in bottled water for all of our baking needs and all drinking needs, so we’re kind of off the Summerland water system,” said owner Todd Laidlaw.
While business hasn’t dropped off since a boil-water notice went into effect earlier this week, he does expect the weekend to be slower than normal, since he’s heard many people plan to leave town.
“But it’s work that needs to be done,” Laidlaw added, “and the municipality was very forthcoming and gave us a lot information up front and gave us an opportunity to plan.”
The shutdown is required to complete a $300,000 repair job.
A faulty pressure-reducing valve located in a concrete vault underneath the roundabout at Prairie Valley and Victoria roads needs to be replaced, but it’s not a simple fix.
On one side of the vault is a single 100-centimetre pipe from the water treatment plant. It splits there into three 30-cm pipes, each with a pressure-reducing valve on it. The three pipes then re-combine and emerge from the other side of the vault as a single 100-cm pipe that supplies water mains downstream.
Safety regulations prohibit crews from completing the work while the main line is charged, meaning all 3.4 kilometres of the pipe between the treatment plant and vault must be drained first.
That process will begin tonight and is expected to take up to 12 hours, with some of the water dumped into a pit at Kelly Avenue and Brown Street.
Repairs are then slated to begin Saturday morning in the vault — along with maintenance at several sites upstream — and work will continue around the clock, before the water is expected to be turned on again Monday morning.
Even if all goes as planned, residents will remain under a boil-water notice for up to 10 days until the supply has been properly re-chlorinated and deemed safe to drink.
During repairs, a diversion will be in place to carry untreated water from other systems to homes and businesses, although users are encouraged to conserve as much as possible.
A communications centre will be in operation Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Aquatic Centre on Kelly Avenue to keep residents informed. Updates will also be available on the district’s website and Facebook page, or by calling 250-486-3765.
Members of the Boy Scouts and Summerland Steam have volunteered to help seniors and other individuals who need help transporting and storing water. They can be reached by calling 250-404-4066 or 250-486-1559.