Water restrictions are in effect for Montrose and Beaver Falls after a break occurred in the water lines early Friday morning.
The water break is due to a problem with the valves, but the reason is unclear and the cause is still under investigation, said Kevin Chartres, the village’s chief administration officer.
The council needs several weeks to assess and repair the water pipe leakage that destroyed roughly 10,000 cubic metres of property on the western end of 9th Avenue on the road reserve.
“It was just chaos until it got light out,” explained Chartres “We need to make sure that this never happens again, and we’re hoping to get something put together very quick.”
Residents were notified about the damages on Friday afternoon, and will be updated as the situation unfolds.
“We’re still assessing the damage,” added Chartres. “And we need to determine if we need another surge relief valve or not.”
n the interim, the Beaver Falls Waterworks District is supplying the residents with water, and it’s unknown whether it can maintain the burden.
Stage 3 Water Restrictions are in place and an advisory requires residents to boil water in Beaver Falls and Montrose. The restrictions ban residents from washing vehicles, running garden hoses or watering their lawns with anything other than an underground sprinkler.
But, another group of people will also be devastated by the disaster.
The Trail Horseman’s Society has been paying an annual user fee for water for several years, but it will need to find another option for water in the future. Chartres said that options for them won’t be known until the water has been chlorinated.
Council is monitoring the water levels, damage and the use of power this week and expects to make a decision about how to tackle the issue once more analysis has been gathered.
Chartres expects to issue progress reports after three contractors provide the cost for engineer rates.