Skip to content

Klondike Valley water fears overblown

Klondike Valley water fears overblown All is well at the new water treatment facility attached to the Klondike Valley fire hall.

All is well at the new water treatment facility attached to the Klondike Valley fire hall.

NDP Opposition MLA Kevin Barr sounded the alarm in the legislature Monday, saying that problems with the facility’s construction left residents without water.

“It would appear that the heat tape, a very basic part of the design and construction, was not put on the line coming in from the well. The waterline is now frozen and the residents of Rock Creek, Henderson Corner and Bear Creek are again without a water supply.”

But that was not the case, said Dwayne Muckosky with Community Services.

Heat trace had been installed on the pipes between the well and the facility, and it is operational, he said.

There was an issue, however, with the smaller tap used to fill blue jugs, said Muckosky.

Enough cold air was able to get in where that tap leaves the building to freeze the pipe, he said.

The larger pipe, used to fill large water tanks, was unaffected.

The problem has since been fixed, said Muckosky.

The solution was to make sure enough heat gets to that part of the building to prevent freezing, he said.

Barr also said that there could be issues with the maintenance of the plant and water quality testing.

“The water treatment system at the Klondike Valley Fire Department’s hall is designed to be monitored by a certified technician. Word from the community is that there is no certified technician at this time.”

This is also incorrect, said Muckosky.

“We do have qualified and certified staff operating the plant, monitoring the water at a frequency that’s even beyond what’s required.”