The Village of Pemberton has begun drilling for a second well.
The well, which will replace the one that failed during the 200-year level flood of 2003, will also serve Electoral Area C of the SLRD from village boundaries to the Taylor Road area and Community Centre.
The exploratory drilling will take place in the Pemberton Creek aquifer. The geotechnical firm Golder Associates Ltd. will undertake the groundwater exploration and supply development under the supervision of the village’s consulting engineers.
Currently, the town’s tap water comes from a single well located in the downtown area. This well draws water from a lower point on the Pemberton Creek aquifer and is currently operating at capacity.
"Redundancy is critical in infrastructure like this," explained David Allen, Director of Development Services for the VOP. Allen estimates that the VOP would have less than a day’s worth of water at its disposal in the event that the well broke down or was otherwise deemed unusable.
Identified by council as priority for 2006, the well is budgeted to cost $650,000, including water treatment and conditioning.
According to Allen, the additional well will further extend the life of all existing water system infrastructure.
A test well that will allow for verification of the quality and quantity of water should be operational by early August. Allen said a fully commissioned well could be in place by the end of the year.
