City admits drawing water from YK Bay
Public works director says using water from Yk Bay makes more sense than pulling from Yk River; resident calls move reckless, cites arsenic concerns
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city has drawn its drinking water supply directly from Yellowknife Bay for short durations as recently as this summer despite public squeamishness about getting water from Great Slave Lake.
Chris Greencorn, director of public works and engineering, answers questions from reporters Monday in the city's water treatment plant. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Several years ago, the idea of pulling water permanently from the bay on Great Slave Lake was scrapped because of concerns of arsenic contamination from Giant Mine.
Normally the city's water supply comes from the Yellowknife River via a pipeline under the lake. However, director of public works and engineering Chris Greencorn said Monday the city on a "regular basis" will temporarily draw water from the bay, usually just for several hours as maintenance is carried out. There's nothing to suggest it placed citizens at risk.
Scott Gillard, the city's water and sewer superintendent, told reporters on a tour of the city's water treatment plant that the most recent use of bay water was this summer as the new facility was coming online to test pumps and equipment.
"We've actually drawn from the bay several times during the commissioning process," Gillard said.
The city's water permit allows water from the bay to be used, Greencorn said. The plant came online after a month-long boil water advisory that began May 11, which was prompted by higher levels of dirt in the Yellowknife River. Water drawn from the bay comes from a pipe in the lake near the new water treatment plant.
"Whenever we pull from the bay we make sure it's running at the same health parametres as the river, so there's no difference as pulling from the river," Greencorn said.
Baker Creek flows into Great Slave Lake via Back Bay after running through the Giant Mine site. In 2011, the creek overflowed into an arsenic-contaminated tailings pond at the mine which heightened concern.
"You know how the city talks about switching the water intake from the river to the bay, well if the mayor's not careful, he's going to kill everybody in Yellowknife because stuff like this goes on," Dettah Chief Edward Sangris told Yellowknifer at the time.
The GNWT Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has an online database of bacterial and chemical test results for the communities. However, the latest chemical test results for Yellowknife are from 2013.
Lorraine Hewlett urged council in 2011 to not switch the water supply to the bay, giving a presentation about concentrations of the gold mining byproduct arsenic trioxide in the bay. Reached Monday, she called the city's use of water from the bay "reckless."
"It doesn't make me want to drink the water," she said, adding she's concerned about the lack of disclosure.
"It was done without public consent - it was done without public disclosure. They didn't let anyone know," she said.
Four city councillors told Yellowknifer they don't recall being told water would be drawn from the bay.
However, Couns. Cory Vanthuyne and Adrian Bell both said that doesn't necessarily mean they weren't told.
"Do I have concerns drawing water from the bay on occasion at this point because of preventative maintenance reasons? No I don't," Vanthuyne said. "We test our water. The city would never put citizens' water at risk."
Deputy mayor Linda Bussey said if water is being taken from the bay, council should know. Asked about disclosure, Greencorn wrote in an e-mail staff don't see it as necessary.
"The City of Yellowknife is responsible for the safe provision of drinking water, we strictly adhere to all aspects of Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines," he wrote. "Therefore, at this time we feel no need to inform the public at large of typical operational procedures."
Greencorn also told reporters Monday he believes it makes sense to draw the city's drinking water from Yellowknife Bay instead of replacing the underwater line that currently brings water from the river.
The replacement of the eight-kilometre pipeline under Great Slave Lake in 2020 is projected to cost $20 million.
"From a strict design and financial perspective, we believe its more fiscally responsible to draw from the bay," Greencorn said. "But at this time, that's a council decision."
When the time comes to make a decision, he said city staff will provide a report to council outlining the pros and cons. At this point, administration has been planning for replacement of the pipe.
"If you're looking at dollars and cents, then the bay makes more fiscal sense," Greencorn said. The water treatment facility has been designed to allow for the installation of equipment that would filter arsenic from the water. Greencorn said the equipment could be added at a cost of about $4 to $5 million. When the building was originally proposed, it would have cost about $2
million, he said.
