Water main breaks are a common occurrence in Saskatchewan communities every winter, but Estevan has had a higher number of breaks than normal every winter.
Estevan city council received an update on the issue in a presentation from city safety co-ordinator Helen Fornwald on Monday night.
Fornwald said that when a water main break occurs, they want to make sure they have the parts to fix it. If they do, they get to work. If they don’t have the parts, then they try to set up a temporary water source.
But in the case of the break on Perkins Street in early February that resulted in a boil water order for south Estevan, the issue was with a main transmission line.
“It affects a great part of the city,” said Fornwald. “As we know, the whole south side was affected. We were very fortunate to have the parts in place, and we worked around the clock to get it fixed.”
City crews had to dig six feet across in frigid temperatures with equipment that was freezing up.
“I believe they did record time with that. Is it an inconvenience when people are without water for 24 or 48 hours? It sure is,” she said.
While the city will have water main breaks in the winter months, Mayor Roy Ludwig said there have been more than normal. He cited several shifts from frigid temperatures to above-zero warmth in the first two months of the year.
The transmission break on Perkins occurred after the temperature went from above zero on Feb. 2, to -30 C with the wind chill the following day.
“The piping under the ground shifts a lot, and that’s the problem we face,” said Ludwig.
The cost of a water break varies. The dig for the major line on Perkins will be fairly significant. A lot of the breaks in residential areas are smaller and require less time.
And there will also be the cost of the asphalt patch later this year once the weather conditions permit a repair.
When there is a water main break or an emergency, Fornwald said the city works with the local media to get the notice out to the public, and Rebecca Westling, the city’s destination marketing communication consultant, gets it out on social media.
Fornwald noted the city has an emergency reference guide that was sent out to all homeowners a few years ago, and Saskatchewan Public Safety has an information brochure in case people are without power or water for 72 hours, or if they’re evacuated for that amount of time.
There is also a small sticker for those with pets in their home.
“Anyone who has pets can put this on their front door or their window, so in the time that there’s an emergency, our Estevan Fire Services knows if you’ve got pets in the house that not only are we going to try to save everyone in the house, but pets as well.”
In a time of a fire, people want to get out quickly, but they might not be thinking about pets.
People should be ready for 72 hours without electricity or water in the event of a disaster.
Councillor Rebecca Foord wanted to know if the city had approached Realtors in the city to provide a pamphlet to newcomers so they know the plan for the city.
Fornwald said they don’t, but she said it was a great idea.
“I believe this is a really valuable piece of information, because it doesn’t cite just one situation, it covers everything that can potentially happen that we can be faced with in an emergency in our community,” said Fornwald.
The city has four meeting sites in the event of an evacuation: the Estevan Leisure Centre, the Estevan Comprehensive School, the Estevan Church of God and St. Paul’s United Church.
Information on emergency or evacuation order, emergency instructions, emergency kits and emergency plans can be found on the City of Estevan’s website under the Emergency Planning section. It also includes details on what to have for a home or vehicle kit.
