Through assistance from the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund through the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada, Vanderhoof officially has a new water tower, booster station and close to one kilometre of 18” PVC water main for the overall water supply system.
We at the District of Vanderhoof are committed to improving safety and reliability of our water infrastructure,” says Gerry Thiessen, Mayor of Vanderhoof. “The Clean Water and Wastewater Fund has allowed us to increase our capacity, emergency storage, consistency and overall modernization of our water system.”
The new water reservoir, which can house more than twice as much volume than the previous reservoir, will ultimately give the community of Vanderhoof cleaner water, as well as ensuring that in any time of crisis or emergency, the town will have enough emergency water storage.
“Water is so critical to everything we do,” says Nechako-Lakes MLA John Rustad, who was on hand at a public address at the new water reservoir. “We take it for granted because when you turn the tap on at home, you expect water to come out clean and usable. You expect it to be there for you. It’s not exciting, in terms of projects for the city, but it’s a critical component of what is needed.”
Furthermore, the newly erected water reservoir will provide further fire flow assistance from the existing Upper Reservoir located on Nechako Avenue.
Selina Robinson, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for the Province of BC, believes that the new reservoir will ensure that the community is prepared for whatever may happen in years to come.
“When faced with an emergency, or just day to day living, the last thing a community should have to worry about is access to adequate water,” says Robinson. “Thanks to this partnership between all levels of government, people in Vanderhoof will have better access to an improved water source with expanded capacity to make sure they are prepared for an emergency situation and can meet increased demand for years to come.”
The new booster station, which comes as a major upgrade from some of the previous decades-old equipment, sports premium efficiency booster pumps, modern valves, controls and monitoring instrumentation, as well as featuring a back-up generator.
This is all connected to the District of Vanderhoof’s town-wide SCADA monitoring system. Additionally, the new 18” PVC water main will increase overall system reliability and the fire flow available to the industrial businesses on Highway 16.