Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (July 13/01) - A Fort Liard family of six is upset their water deliveries were halted because of a broken storage tank, while neighbours with the same tank problems continue getting their water.

"We have to collect rainwater in barrels," says Elaine Powder. There has been little rain and she has been without a delivery for two weeks.

She received water then only because a sympathetic hamlet manager relented, allowing water delivery for a family funeral.

A year ago a bylaw was passed that says water tanks must have a working light that automatically goes on when they get topped up.

The bylaw was drawn up because of flood damage claims being filed by homeowners, according to senior administrative officer John McKee.

"It's an insurance liability for us ... we can't do that anymore," said McKee.

In Fort Liard, where the 600 residents have no piped water system, water tanks are in basements. A light outside is the only way the water truck driver knows when they're full.

Powder said there is always someone home who can watch her tank level and yell out when it's full.

The light on Powder's tank is on the blink. She can afford the $200 to fix it, but the problem in Fort Liard is finding someone to do the repairs.

"Nobody will come over and we have no idea how to fix it ourselves."

She points to her neighbour, who continues to get water even though that tank's light is also broken.

The beefed-up standard is like a building code improvement -- it applies to all newly-installed water tanks while old ones are grandfathered under previous rules.

Powder has one of the older tanks but it isn't grandfathered because her water bill fell behind and service was cut off. The bill is paid and water deliveries can resume, except the hamlet now considers her a new customer who must follow the new rules.

Powder's sister Patricia Bertrand just went through a similar water battle with hamlet officials.

"The bylaw office came by and said it's the law, you have to have the light working," Bertrand said.

"When I applied for water the office hadn't informed me about their standards and regulations."

McKee says eight months ago Bertrand's basement flooded during a water delivery.

A warning light was recently installed but Bertrand said she had to hound a repair man to do the work.

Most tanks have an overflow pipe that goes outside, but McKee says by the time water pours out, the tank lid has usually popped and water is all over the basement floor.

He defends the new rule and the service, saying that residents are fortunate that "95 per cent of the actual cost" of water service is subsidized, mostly by the territorial government.

"If someone were in a real hardship situation, we'd look at it," he said.

There are no plans to install a piped water system because of the pricetag.