There was action behind the South Hazelton firehall last week as the giant mound of dirt put in place to soak up wet ground in the spring was finally removed. However, the state of the water project overall seems to be a question of ongoing concern that for residents.
Regional District of Kitimat and Stikine project manager Stewart Christensen was pleased to report that while there have been setbacks things are now a go for the early September for installation of the holding tanks.
“We had anticipated that we would have it up and running by now but we ran into some technical difficulties with the electronic control systems,” he explained. “There were several systems within it and adjustments had to be made and it looks like we are going to be starting the chlorine filtration system the first week of September. We have also been testing the water and the first four tests all passed but the ladder two have not.”
Christensen added that they will be sending out another notice shortly to give the residents of South Hazelton an update on the projected start up date. He also added that the boil water advisory will still stay in place until further notice.
“The area will still be on boiled water advisory until we have three cleared tests,” he explained.
In regards to the amount of chlorine that will be put in the water which has been the main concern for many residents, the Regional District maintains that the amount of chlorine put in is dependent on the turbidity of the water which means the amount of dirt and particles.
“Almost always the water is crystal clear so we do not anticipate putting much chlorine in,” he stated. “New Hazelton will be monitoring and running the system once it is up and running and they seem to have their system working well.”
As for the site behind the firehall, he said they hope to have that up and ready to go by the end of September.
“The holding tanks are ordered, the contractor should be here this week to put the piping in and sometime in mid September we hope the tanks will go up,” he said.
For more information contact the Regional District at 1-800-663-3208.