Kimberley City Council has voted to reallocate funds from the waterline replacement fund in order to replace the waterlines on the 800 block of 305/306 Street in Marysville.
The waterline replacement will take place this year, before winter, and is going forward in response to the line freezing last winer, leaving many without water for an extended period of time.
Manager of Operations Chris Mummery says that this project has become a higher priority since last winter’s freezing.
“This particular section has difficulties with the line freezing in the winer, leaving lots of people without water. [It’s] an old cast iron line making it susceptible to frost. It’s become a higher priority and we’ll be taking on the project earlier than anticipated.”
READ MORE: City of Kimberley advises taking precaution against freezing pipes as weather warms
Mummery adds that City staff were able to respond to the freezing lines last winter with ground cover and portable thawing equipment that prevented the line from bursting, but attempts to restore the water supply experienced limited success, leaving seven homes without water for varying periods of time between February and March.
Chief Financial Officer Jim Hendricks explained that $200,000 was previously allocated in the 2″ Galvanized Waterline Replacement Project, to replace other water lines throughout the City, however those funds had to be moved to accommodate this project. The total cost of the project comes in at $250,000.
Councillor Darryl Oakley expressed concerns with reallocating the funds, asking if it would affect other projects that also need to happen. He suggested taking the funds from a different funding stream.
Hendricks replied saying, “It’s a reallocation within the water fund; there are not really any other sources to take that [funding] from. It gets too skinny to add $200,000.”
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