Enlarged, seismically sound watermain pipes waiting to be installed along Boxwood Rd. north of the East Wellington Rd. overpass. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

water resiliency

Crews prepare for upcoming busy stretch of Midtown Water Supply Project replacement in Nanaimo

Jan 10, 2023 | 2:34 PM

NANAIMO — While it’s not flashy, an important project aimed at providing water supply certainty in Nanaimo is becoming more visible.

Preparatory works is underway alongside the Nanaimo Parkway for the second phase of the Midtown Water Supply Project to establish a pair of enhanced water supply lines feeding the city’s central and north ends.

The City’s water resources manager Mike Squire said vegetation is being removed to establish trenches to house large pipes along the east side of the Nanaimo Parkway from East Wellington Rd. area to the Third St/Jingle Pot Rd. exit.

“Where we’re at is we are clearing and grubbing prior to the bird-nesting window,” Squire said, who noted further clearing and pipe-laying will then proceed up the highway toward Vancouver Island University.

While traffic disruptions have been limited so far, that won’t be the case for Nanaimo Parkway commuters in the months ahead, Squire said.

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He noted pipping will be installed by their contractor under the highway near College Dr, Third St., the East Wellington Rd. overpass and Northfield Rd.

“Prior to that, we’ll be advising the public and local businesses and residents weeks before we do a shutdown.”

The first phase of the project, which started last year, included installing piping through Beban Park and along Labieux Rd., Squire said.

He said the whole idea is to establish a more reliable water supply, pointing to a damaging water main break on Bowen Rd. in April 2020.

The end result was 22 million litres of lost water and an unexpected clean-up bill.

“What that did was drain several of our main above-ground reservoirs and put the hospital out of water. We can’t afford for the hospital, our residents, or our businesses to be out of water.”

He said more resilient, seismically sound piping will create enhanced water supply reliability for current and future residents for decades to come.

It’s expected the Midtown Water Supply Project will be completed early next year.

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