A water main break in April 2020 is forcing the City of Nanaimo to accelerate its timeline to create redundancy in its water infrastructure. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

TAP TROUBLE

Upgrades eyed as current Nanaimo infrastructure poses ‘extreme risk to our water supply’

Jan 19, 2022 | 5:29 AM

NANAIMO — A major overhaul to water supply infrastructure is being fast-tracked to the top of the City’s to-do list.

It comes after the high-profile eruption of an underground Bowen Rd. watermain in April 2020, resulting in the loss of around 22 million litres of water in a matter of hours.

Bill Sims, City manager of engineering and public works, told Council on Monday, Jan. 17 the event forced them to speed up replacement of key water transmission lines.

“This resulted in quite the rejigging of the capital plan and we’ve picked up other opportunities to improve and increase resilience along the way.”

Other opportunities come during desired surface level improvements for active transportation and other purposes, allowing the City to get a two-for-one deal on projects.

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The issue with Nanaimo’s fragile water supply stems from a single backbone running under Buttertubs Marsh then along Boundary Ave., Hwy. 19 and Bowen Rd.

The 900 millimetre steel pipe was installed in 1976 and currently supplies central and north Nanaimo.

Mike Squire, manager of water resources, said the Bowen Rd. eruption exposed the actual condition of a major piece of infrastructure.

“After we fixed the leak and isolated that incident, we found after we dug out the pipe…the condition of the pipe revealed other leaks and structural failure was evident. The consequence of failure…is extreme risk to our water supply.”

Extensive upgrades were required to Bowen Rd. in April 2020 after a water main broke, flooding the surrounding area with 22 million litres of water in a matter of hours. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Upgrades would see new pipes installed from the Pryde Pump Station, running primarily adjacent to the Nanaimo Parkway before jutting down Northfield Rd. to connect to the Labieux Pump Station near Beban Park.

A dedicated watermain line to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital would also be installed, with staff reporting a loss of water in the upper floors during the April 2020 blow-out on Bowen Rd.

Installation of pipes would also create space for a new network of community walking and bike trails.

Squire said it’s beneficial to have people around critical infrastructure so any issues, such as leaks, can be identified quickly.

A proposed new water main line designed to future-proof Nanaimo’s water supply and ease the burden on crumbling infrastructure. (City of Nanaimo)

He emphasized there would not be a repeat of Bowen Rd. on a newly-built pedestrian pathway, due to the pipe used.

“The pipe on Bowen Rd. is called high pressed on concrete and basically when it breaks it’s catastrophic, it’s not a small water leak. The pipe material we’re choosing is going to be either a steel structure or high density polyethylene.”

Leaks in such materials typically result in water bubbling to the surface and don’t create an explosive safety hazard.

Adding pathways on top of the pipes also create easier access for City crews to conduct repairs or maintenance.

Requests for proposals are currently out with the City eyeing a budget of $28.4 million, however a shortage of labour and rising construction costs are stretching the planned budget.

Staff hope design can be completed through the spring and early summer of 2022, with shovels in the ground immediately after.

Work is expected to take around two years.

A look at the full scope of the project, including redundancies and other planned off-shoots from water main upgrades. (City of Nanaimo)

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley