An unexpected leak at Yellowknife’s water treatment plant could cost the city nearly $600,000 in repairs.
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Reservoir 1 has been leaking since January. Staff first noticed the leakage when ice began to build up below the treatment plant.
The reservoir, built in 1991, is 26 years old. Tests found it has been losing about 35 cubic meters of water a day, less than 4 centimetres.
“The leak itself does not impact the quality of drinking water produced at the water treatment plant,” said Sheila Bassi-Kellett, the city’s senior administrative officer.
Repairs can be delayed until the 2018 capital plan, but Bassi-Kellett warns that leaving the leak for long could damage the reservoir’s structural integrity.
Public Works is proposing the reservoir be drained while crews test to find the leak and patch it up.
Council will hear a motion to award the repair contract to Proform Concrete Services Inc. next week.
