The end of a months-long boil water advisory in Lower Nicola could be on the horizon, as the Lower Nicola Water Works aims to secure the necessary funds to replace a temporary water line to residents on Marshall Road.
The initial advisory was issued on May 11, after a surging Guichon Creek cut a swath through Lower Nicola, breaking an underground water line on Marshall Road.
Though damage to the Marshall Road line temporarily restricted water access to some residents, the advisory was actually issued in response to bacteriological contamination detected in water samples sent to Interior Health.
As the flood water receded and Guichon Creek returned to a regular flow, a temporary over-land pipe was installed to restore access to running water for residents on Marshall Road, explained Lorne Robertson, maintenance supervisor with the Lower Nicola Water Works.
“The water is potable out here in the entire system.
However, because that’s only a temporary over-land line, [Interior Health] will not take that boil water notice off,” said Robertson.
Katie McNamara, an environmental health officer with IH explained that the province’s Drinking Water Protection Act requires a construction permit to be obtained prior to any repairs of a water main.
“The permit application is done through Interior Health, and the applicant must provide enough information about the proposed construction for a Public Health Engineer to be able to process it,” said McNamara in a statement emailed to the Herald.
“We’re having quite a bit of difficulty with funding,” said Robertson, who added that the group is now looking at dipping into their own reserves in order to fund the project.
“Sometime this week perhaps — I’m not sure, it’s only speculation — that we’ll have that contract awarded and work will commence pretty quick,” said Robertson.