Contractors successfully installed a temporary bridge in the River Valley Tuesday night to gain access to the Williams Lake Sewage Treatment Lagoons, where they installed a temporary pump to stop the flow of partially treated effluent into the river.
As of 2 p.m. today, only treated sewage is being discharged into the river. The pump is a temporary measure to bypass a ruptured sewer pipe that had resulted from high water flows in the River Valley last month. The pump means partially treated sewage flowing from the ruptured pipe is now being diverted into a third cell for treatment before it is released.
“This temporary bypass has bought us some time as we work toward repairing the ruptured pipe,” said Gary Muraca, City of WL Director of Municipal Services. “It’s important to recognize the relentless efforts of Peterson Contracting and True Engineering, who worked many late nights to get this temporary fix in place.”
Contractors spent the past week rebuilding the roads and shoring up the perimeter of the sewage lagoons with rocks and riprap to gain access to the River Valley, where many of the roads and bridges were washed out or made impassable as a result of flooding.
Crews now hope to gain access to the ruptured pipe to begin repairs. Residents are asked to continue minimizing their water use, if possible, to reduce the flows into the sewage treatment facility. This could include limiting baths or laundry, or using the dishwasher every second or third day, or not flushing the toilet as often.
“We appreciate all the efforts residents have made and are asking them to hang on just a little longer until we can get a permanent fix in place,” Muraca said.
Meanwhile, the City has extended its State of Local Emergency for Frizzi Road and the River Valley. An evacuation order for 11 industrial properties on Frizzi Road and an evacuation alert for the Green Acres Mobile Home Park remain in effect.
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