North Huron approves new standpipe, despite water pressure concerns

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

After spending several special council meetings carefully weighing the township’s future water storage options, North Huron Council decided that its best bet is to carry on with the existing plan to construct a new standpipe, rather than scrapping those plans in favour of a water tower.

 

At the Nov. 22 special meeting, Director of Public Works Dax McAllister presented council with a final overview of the pros and cons of both options. One of the main draws of the standpipe, according to the report, is the way in which it fits into North Huron’s existing waterscape. “The design is built on not having to add any other infrastructure into the system, as far as pressure goes. If we go bigger, there’s a concern that we would need to add pressure-reducing valves and stuff into the system that would be an additional cost to manage,” he explained.

 

One of the main drawbacks of going with the standpipe is its reliance on a booster pumping system to be effective when it matters most: during an emergency. Booster pumping stations require steady maintenance to remain functional. Councillor Mitch Wright was curious as to what that would cost. “It seems like the only major downside of a standpipe is the maintenance on the booster pumps,” he said. “Do we have any idea what the annual cost of that maintenance is?”

 

McAllister responded that they do not know what the annual maintenance costs would be at this point, saying, “We’re just not sure until we tender out and see what comes back - see what the pump is, see what the equipment to run it is, and then we’ll have an idea about what’s going to be needed.” He went on to explain that the current standard practice for standpipe booster station maintenance is monthly inspections, which are less effective than is desirable. “That doesn’t guarantee that, you know, when everything is failing, that it’s going to operate, because it’s not operating continuously. Equate it to your car - if you leave your car sitting in the driveway, and you only go start it for five minutes every month, you know, when you go to drive it after a year, it’s probably not going to run that good,” he admitted.

 

Wright also had questions about the potential construction costs associated with switching over to a water tower at this point in the process. “If we go with the water tower, we would have to do the design, which we already have in hand for the standpipe. We would have to purchase land for a water tower, but we already have it in hand for a standpipe. And, of course, wherever the new water tower goes, there’d be the connection cost to get from that water tower to our mains, which doesn’t exist with a standpipe. So, all in, is it possible that a water tower may be two or three million dollars more than a standpipe?” he asked.

 

McAllister confirmed that the increase in cost could, indeed, be in the millions, but went on to point out that a water tower would have a much greater water capacity than a standpipe. “Let’s say you’ve got 2,500 cubic metres in both - you only have so much in the standpipe you can use, whereas with the water tower, you have access to the full 2,500 cubic metres at all times,” he offered. Wright countered with the thought that, with the standpipe and booster pumps, the township would actually have access to 3,000 cubic metres of water, which McAllister confirmed.

 

Councillor Anita van Hittersum had queries that focused on securing the future safety of North Huron and its citizens. “For the needs of the community, for fire suppression, for the expansion of the community - how long, if we choose the standpipe, until we don’t have enough water to take care of all of that?” she asked.

 

McAllister acknowledged that issues could arise if the township’s fire suppression needs exceeded the capacity of the proposed standpipe, but attempting to avoid those issues with a larger standpipe would create additional issues of its own. “We can only go so big before we need to start introducing pressure relief valves and other things into the system to maintain that pressure. We’re trying to answer that question, but we don’t really know without trying to weigh the options... I think the proposal is 33 metres - if we went 45 metres, that might be too high, and create pressure problems in the system.”

 

Van Hittersum also wanted to know what would happen in the event of a fire, should the booster pump system fail. “Say if there’s a fire at the school or Hutton Heights or anywhere, would they have enough water without booster pumps to take good care of that fire?”

 

McAllister couldn't guarantee that they would have enough water. “Depending on how big, and what gets going, you know, those details I direct to Chief Kregar. A big fire, without the booster pump... you may not.”

 

Wright, who had spoken to North Huron’s Fire Chief before the meeting, offered his perspective on the township's firefighting capabilities. “My understanding from talking with Mr. Kregar is that one of the advantages we have as a rural and urban mix is that we have stuff like large barn fires we have to deal with, so we’ve got the tankers. Plus, we’re used to hauling water... a purely urban municipality doesn’t necessarily have that large tanker capacity,” he pointed out.

 

Deputy-Reeve Kevin Falconer wanted to know about the longevity of the infrastructure that will connect to the chosen vessel. “I was wondering if you could just give a slight overview of the entire water system? If we’re putting money into a new standpipe, is there any other infrastructure to support that standpipe that may need to be added into this one project?” McAllister explained that the system is on the way out. “Currently, our infrastructure is definitely aging. A lot of it is, I would say, closer to its end of life.” He listed a number of projects that will need to be undertaken in the near future, including repairs to the Blyth well houses and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system updates. He offered to collect more information and bring it back to council. “Those projects are large, million-dollar projects,” McAllister conceded.

 

Wright put forth the motion to choose the standpipe. “It’s a known quantity... it seems it will check all the boxes, from a needs perspective,” he explained. Falconer seconded the motion, which passed five to one, with Councillor Lonnie Whitfield choosing to withhold support.