A new groundwater source for the Lexington subdivision just outside of Williams Lake city limits has been approved for use by Interior Health.
The Cariboo Regional District (CRD)assumed ownership, management and operation of the Lexington water system on Jan. 1, 2019.
The system services 28 homes in the Lexington subdivision near Williams Lake.
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“There is still considerable work to be done before it can be utilized,” the CRD noted in a water system update bulletin.
In the meantimem, the system is currently operating the same as it did under management of the Lexington Improvement District.
The water source is still Williams Lake and the Boil Water Notice is still in effect.
“We are doing our best to complete the work as quickly as possible in order to remove the Boil Water Notice; however, there is still a lot of construction work to be done before the new well can be connected to the water system,” the CRD noted in the bulletin.
Construction
The designs for the new pumphouse and connection of the well to the distribution system are completed and have been submitted to Interior Health for approval.
A construction company will be hired in March and construction will start when the CRD has received approved permits.
The CRD is currently waiting for an archaeology permit, an access permit and subdivision approvals from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, finalization of the land purchase and a BC Hydro permit.
Since the CRD is waiting on several permits, an estimate on when construction will begin has not been determined, but once it’s started, the CRD expects the construction phase to take about four months.
Utility billing
Customers will receive the annual bill for the water system in April 2019.
Even though the water quality has not yet improved, the CRD still must collect the funds needed to operate the system.
The invoice will be for the $980 water user fee that was approved through the petition to have the regional district take over the water system.
If paid by May 31, 2019, residents will receive a 10 per cent discount off the annual user fee.
Residents who have questions or concerns, are asked to contact the CRD utilities department at 250-392-3351 (or 1-800-665-1636). In the event of an after-hours emergency, you can call the same main phone number and press 5 to be connected to our after-hours emergency line.
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