By Times Staff
During a meeting held in Kamloops on Aug. 17, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board of directors approved the expenditure to a maximum of $10,000 to fund power redundancy upgrades for the Blue River Community water system.
The money is coming from from federal Gas Tax revenues, community works fund component, that has been allocated to Electoral Area “B” (Thompson Headwaters).
The directors were told that Willow MacDonald, the director for Area B, supports the use of these funds to allow the project to proceed, and that Area B has sufficient Gas Tax funds to allow for this.
The funds will help finance a backup power connection for the pump-house. This would allow water to continue to be pumped in the event of a power failure.
Blue River’s community water system is owned and operated by the TNRD.
The pump house for the system currently has no backup power connection to allow water to continue to be pumped in the event a power failure.
This would be especially important in the case of an emergency, as has been highlighted by the recent wildfire events in B.C.
The North Thompson Valley is served by a single power-line. During the wildfires of 2003, the power-line was cut south of Barriere, resulting in the upper valley being without power for some time.
The TNRD’s manager of utility services has identified that relatively minor modifications to the existing pump house would allow a mobile generator to be plugged in and switched on when needed. This would create the redundancy necessary to ensure reliability of the system in an emergency.
Proposed improvements include boring a hole through the concrete wall of the pump house and installing necessary cables and a transfer switch. A quote was obtained for the cost of the switch itself and estimates for the installation work suggest the project can be accomplished for no more than $10,000.
The purchase of a backup generator is not being considered at this time. Kinder Morgan has suggested it has several generators that would be suitable and that could be made available if necessary.
In the event that such is not the case when needed, suitable generators are typically available for rent from other sources on short notice. The intent is simply to make the building ready and easily able to accept such.
The future plan is to have a permanent generator located at the pump house and this proposed transfer switch would be utilized as a part of that long term plan.
This project would fall under the federal Gas Tax water and wastewater category in two subcategories: “Developing or upgrading drinking water system to improve water quality and reduce water use, increase energy efficiency and secure water supply in the face of drought.”