Pipeline repair starts

Lake Huron transmission pipeline repair starts

The Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System is undertaking a critical repair of the water transmission pipeline in the Mount Carmel area.

The transmission pipeline repair operation began at 1 a.m. on Tuesday when the water treatment plant was shut down, and crews started to close the mainline valves and drain the isolated pipeline. By 10 a.m., crews had completed excavating the pipeline and started the process to cut out and remove the damaged pipe.

The removal and replacement of the damaged pipe is anticipated to take as much as 20 hours to complete before the pipeline can be refilled and pressure tested. It will take up to another 24 hours to refill area reservoirs and return the water supply system to normal operations, anticipated to be complete by Thursday morning.

Municipalities supplied by the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System include Bluewater, South Huron, Lambton Shores, Lucan Biddulph, North Middlesex, Middlesex Centre, Strathroy Caradoc and the City of London.

“The work appears to be going well and on schedule,” Andrew Henry, director for the regional water systems said in a press release. “We will need to carefully watch the reservoir levels throughout the region to ensure there aren’t excessive demands on the system during the repair operation.”

The supply of treated drinking water to the City of London from the Elgin Area Primary Water Supply System has been increased, however the majority of the water supplied to the consumers by the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System will be provided from storage reservoirs throughout the region while the pipe repairs are being undertaken.

The quality of the water supplied to area municipalities and consumers is not affected, but some communities in the region may experience lower than normal water pressures.

Consumers are encouraged to contact their local municipality if they experience discoloured water or have no water.

Additional information about the regional water supply system is available at www.huronelginwater.ca

Source: Lake Huron transmission pipeline repair starts | Lakeshore Advance