Water Flushing Project: Completion Summary
March 10, 2022
It has been a challenging process with our water system maintenance, and we want to provide an update, and say thank you to our community.
The District of Ucluelet is taking new and extra efforts to improve the drinking water quality. We acknowledge the extreme burden these processes have on the residents, businesses, and visitors of Ucluelet and sincerely apologize for these disruptions.
The work we are doing now will improve the quality of water and prepare the infrastructure for the next steps in the water treatment upgrade. The whole initiative, called Ucluelet’s Clean Drinking Water Action Plan, can be found on the District’s website.
In line with our action plan, the District of Ucluelet has recently:
- Completed cleaning of both water reservoirs
- Completed flushing of all district water pipes
- Approved next steps for upgrading Ucluelet’s water treatment project
Water Reservoir Flushing
In-between January 6 and January 26, the Public Works Department completed the flushing and cleaning of both municipal reservoirs, as part of the new maintenance program. Sediment, made up of iron & manganese, was removed from the reservoirs.
Water System Flushing
From February 22 to March 7, the Public Works Department completed flushing all of the District’s water pipes. The District of Ucluelet was divided into (12) twelve unique zones and each zone was systematically flushed to remove a build up of sediment. This build up is a factor in the water discolouration that some residents have been experiencing. With the completion of flushing, the team is now returning all the valving to its original positions and repairing system deficiencies discovered during the process. In the next few days, you will see system pressures in your area return to normal levels, and the water running clear.
The system will continue to settle in the days ahead as residents and businesses flush and clear their service lines. We anticipate that within a week all lines will be free and clear of sediment, and the quality of water will be noticeably improved. The photo below shows the colour, and amount of the sediment in the system.
Next Steps: Water Treatment Upgrades
District Council recently approved proceeding with the next steps of the District of Ucluelet’s Water Treatment Capital Upgrade. Ucluelet’s water treatment and capacity upgrades include improving the Lost Shoe Creek Wellfield with a new water treatment facility, improving the Mercantile Creek water source with a new water treatment facility at the end of Bay Street, and constructing a third reservoir near the Highway Reservoir to increase storage capacity.
As we move closer to the next steps of the Clean Drinking Water Action Plan, we want to thank the community for your understanding and patience in working together to improve our water system.
If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please contact James Macintosh, Director of Engineering Services at jmacintosh@ucluelet.ca or 250-726-7744.