Due to significant leakage identified by the Town of Sundre's operations department, council recently carried a motion to this year repair a water main that had been approved for the 2018 capital budget.
Jim Hall, operations manager, presented a report to council during the June 26 meeting.
"The piping located adjacent to the skate park that connects to the Second Avenue NW main has been repaired in the past and was found to be in poor condition," reads his report.
"At the time of the repair, other repairs had depleted the operation budget and it was decided to plan for a full replacement of the section in the 2017-2021 capital plan."
The replacement of the 80-metre stretch of that water main had been approved in the 2018 capital budget at a cost of $110,000. However, the data retrieved during the leak investigation indicated the potential for major issues, creating a serious concern to the operations department, his report noted.
Additionally, the operations department found a problematic manhole that was facilitating a substantial amount of infiltration into the sewage treatment system right against the municipality's lift station, he added.
The manhole is estimated to be allowing large amounts of groundwater ó as much as about 300 cubic metres a day ó to infiltrate into the municipality's lagoon system, which typically handles about 1,100 cubic metres per day. Factoring in the addition of regional waste from trucks coming in, that figure increases to 1,300 cubic metres. And with groundwater occasionally swelling up, the lagoon, which is only licensed for a maximum flow of 2,041 cubic metres per day, has reached peaks of almost 1,800, he said.
"What's happening with this manhole is it's making our pumps run twice as hard to move the sewage plus clean groundwater through the system," which reduces the life expectancy of the $6,000 to $10,000 pumps, he said.
So along with the request to repair the water main, Hall asked council for approval to replace the wastewater manhole and connection piping at the same time. Construction would best be scheduled in October when water levels are at their lowest, he said.
The project will also include work on the skate park's parking and trail connectivity because the area within the main is in poor condition and requires proper drainage and trail rehabilitation.
"The trail is not usable during wet conditions," reads Hall's report.
Once completed, the replaced main will not only eliminate infiltration but also assist the operations department in obtaining a more accurate indication of other potential sources of leaks.
Council inquired about the breakdown of the funding required, and Vic Pirie, director of finance and administration, said the cost would be covered by the water and wastewater unallocated reserve as well as the Gas Tax Refund grant.
"Obviously to me this is an infrastructure project that's as necessary as can be," said Coun. Myron Thompson, who motioned to approve the requests as recommended.
Since the funding was being sourced from two reserves, administrator Linda Nelson pointed out each request would require a separate motion.
In approving the replacement of the water main, council went on to unanimously carry two motions ó one to include the replacement of the wastewater manhole and connection piping for a total of $82,000 to be covered by the water and wastewater unallocated reserves, and a followup motion to approve the rehabilitation of the skate park trail connectivity at a cost of $68,000 that will be funded through the Gas Tax Refund grant.
