Chemainus water project green-lighted
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Updated: August 07, 2009 4:23 PM
Water warnings may soon be a thing of the past in Chemainus now that North Cowichan is moving forward with its wells water supply project.
The project, which has been contested by the Halalt First Nation, has been in limbo since 2003.
But it received the go-ahead from the province in March and more recently from the federal government.
And on Wednesday, North Cowichan councillors directed Mayor Tom Walker and the municipality’s administrator to execute a $1.68-million contract with Draycor Construction.
This contract will see the construction of two, 500,000-gallon concrete reservoirs on Copper Canyon Road in Chemainus, which will hold groundwater from the Chemainus River aquifer.
Chemainus, plagued by turbidity issues with its existing surface water supply, has received a series of boil water advisories in past years and most recently in the spring.
“This new water system is intended to run primarily in the October to April period,” said Councillor Dave Haywood.
“There’s been a substantial number of boil water advisories in the community of Chemainus in the past few years, but with the new water system in place we expect these to be minimized quite a bit.”
The cost will be covered equally by the federal and provincial governments and the Chemainus water users, Haywood added.
Meanwhile, Halalt Chief James Thomas could not be reached for comment Thursday, but has disputed the issue on environmental grounds as well as concerns over rights and title.
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