KAMLOOPS — It was an extremely busy work day for city staff in Kamloops.
A blown transformer at the Centre for Water Quality shut down the city’s water treatment process around 4 a.m. The Emergency Operations Centre was opened to monitor the situation while crews searched for a solution.
Kamloops residents were asked to keep their water usage to a minimum, and representatives from the Interior Health Authority kept an eye on emergency procedures.
“As we are the regulator of the water system we want to make sure that public health is protected throughout this event,” Dan Ferguson, IHA’s manager of strategic initiatives said.
City employees watched water levels in reservoirs around Kamloops closely throughout the morning.
The City of Kamloops’ Director of Public Works and Utilities, Jen Fretz, said it was a situation unlike any the city had experienced during the lifespan of the water treatment centre.
“From my knowledge, we have never had an issue where the plant was completely down,” Fretz said. “The plant is, I think, 11 years old now and we haven’t had this issue thankfully. It’s really unfortunate that it’s happened now.”
By 12:30 p.m. the plant began treating water once again, and pumps were brought back online after crews reprogrammed the treatment system.
“So, current situation is we have the water treatment plant functioning,” Fretz said, “so it is drawing water from the river, treating the water and sending it to our high lift station, which is exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
The city will now be discussing how to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. Part of their contingency plan includes the North Thompson emergency water intake, which is expected to come online in the fall.
“That will definitely help, that will require a boil water advisory, but it will supply water to the system.”
For now, the Centre for Water Quality is running at 100 per cent, and Kamloops residents can once again turn on their taps without fear of an impending shortage.
