The city will relocate its ultraviolet and sodium hypochlorite water treatment facilities to the new pump station that BC Hydro will build at John Hart Lake.
In addition, plans for the city’s new water supply project now include a water transmission line down Highway 28 to connect to the existing watermain off Powerhouse Rd.
The new plan is based on an amendment to the 2014 agreement between the City of Campbell River and BC Hydro that had the electrical utility funding up to 75 per cent of the costs associated with a new water supply. In addition, BC Hydro was to fund 100 per cent of the water line along Surge Tower Road off Highway 28. Surge Tower Road is the main haul route for the John Hart project.
“The opportunity to revisit our original agreement arose given the cost, complexities and interactions with the city waterworks project and the John Hart project along Surge Tower Rd., and from that, better efficiencies in having one city domestic water building on BC Hydro property versus two at different locations. We appreciate the city’s collaborative work in developing a better solution,” says Stephen Watson of BC Hydro.
“When we considered all the elements, the city determined that we could lower BC Hydro’s costs as well as eliminate shared use of Surge Tower Rd. during construction by combining all water treatment at the new lakeside pump station,” says Jason Hartley, the city’s capital works manager. “This would also remove a major section of the water transmission line from the park, minimizing our impact on an important community and provincial asset.”
The entire drinking water project is now valued at $22.4 million, with BC Hydro’s overall maximum contribution at $18.3 million, which includes 100 per cent of the additional $5.8 million work to consolidate the treatment facilities and run the water transmission line down the highway to Powerhouse Rd. The City’s cost remains at $4.15 million, to be paid for through a combination of water capital and debt from borrowing.
The new drinking water source is scheduled to be operating in fall 2017, before the existing BC Hydro penstocks are removed as part of the $1.1 billion John Hart Generating Station replacement project.
Campbell River’s water system distributes water for domestic, commercial and industrial use as well as fire protection via watermains running throughout the community and to customers on local First Nations reserves and in a portion of Area D.