The District of Squamish says its contractors have made good progress overnight to mitigate impacts from the Queens Way lift station failure.
Crews were successful in setting up a bypass line around the failure to enable wastewater to flow directly from the downtown lift station to the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Vacuum trucks worked all night to transport wastewater to other manholes in the community while the bypass was installed.
“The impacts to the Squamish Estuary were limited and ended at approximately 9:30 pm last night. The community was an important part of this effort as they reduced their water use where possible,” District said in a press release.
District says the discharge to the Squamish Estuary was an absolute last resort when every other effort was exhausted, and when wastewater volumes exceeded the capacity of the lift station and trucking capability. The discharge was required to avoid backing up wastewater into peoples’ homes and businesses. The District is working with the Ministry of Environment to follow all necessary regulatory protocols.
“We are very grateful to a large number of people who responded in the last 24 hours – many residents and businesses reduced their water use; several local contractors stepped up with offers of help; and District crews and contractors worked around the clock in emergency response mode,” says Mayor Armand Hurford.
The request for residents and businesses south of the Mamquam River to reduce water use has now been lifted. The new system is working well, and the infrastructure has caught up with the backlog of volume. Work to replace the failed manhole at the lift station will now be expedited.
