Midtown Water Supply project being prepared for service

Flushing to occur next week

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 12, 2024 1:44 PM

Summary

As part of ongoing drinking water reliability and infrastructure resilience improvements, the City is beginning to prepare the new primary water main to be put into service. The first stage of the process is to begin flushing, which will occur on Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17.

The new water supply main, essential for potable water for two-thirds of Nanaimo, will be flushed to remove dirt and debris, helping with later sterilization. Given the extensive scope of the project and its location in high-traffic areas, residents and commuters are likely to notice increased activity along the project site, and may observe running water.

The new primary main is part of broader drinking water infrastructure upgrades, including replacing the existing prestressed concrete pressure pipe underneath Bowen Road. This proactively prevents further large failures as was experienced in April 2020, impacting Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Notably, this is the same type of pipe that recently failed in Calgary; the Midtown Water Supply project eliminates the last of the prestressed concrete pressure pipe in Nanaimo.

Flushing will use approximately seven million litres of water and begin at 10 am Tuesday. This has been planned and accounted for within the storage system to minimize impact this time of the year.

Link to Strategic Plan: Maintaining and Growing Current Services: To ensure that the City continues to plan for, maintain and grow its services while ensuring we are fiscally responsible and responsive to our community’s evolving needs.

Key Points

The City will flush the water main on Tues, July 16 and Wed, July 17, 2024.
Flushing involves pushing large volumes of clean water through the pipe to remove dirt and debris, ensuring optimal performance upon activation.
The new primary main is part of broader efforts to upgrade water supply infrastructure, including the replacement of the existing prestressed concrete pipe underneath Bowen Road.

Quotes

"Getting ready to put the water supply main into service is a significant milestone in the Midtown Water Supply project to greatly advance Nanaimo's drinking water resilience. We've witnessed the disruption failures of prestressed concrete pressure pipe can cause here in Nanaimo and most recently, Calgary. This new water supply main will preempt future large scale disruptions. We appreciate the community's understanding and cooperation during this phase."

Bill Sims

General Manager, Engineering and Public Works

City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

The Midtown Water Supply Project will construct two large water pipelines to replace the aging and undersized current water mains that delivers potable drinking water to the central and northern areas of Nanaimo.

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Contact:

For media inquiries, please contact

Communications

City of Nanaimo

250-754-4251

Media.Requests@nanaimo.ca

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