QAUSUITTUQ/RESOLUTE - Resolute residents concerned about the possible loss of their beloved utilidor can breathe easy - for now.

The Resolute Char Lake utilidor pump house. Much of the utilidor system is more than 30 years old. - photo courtesy of Shawn Maley

After proposing a possible move to trucked water and sewage services in the spring - to the dismay of many residents - the GN, through the department of Community and Government Services (CGS), has now pledged two new studies to find out more before taking any action.

A request for proposal (RFP) has already gone out for the first study, said Roy Green, CGS director of community infrastructure. That report will explore what's needed to keep the utilidor alive for now, he said.

"It's going to take three to five years for a long term solution, no matter what solution we take," said Green.

The RFP should be completed by the end of November. After that, the study should take 60 to 90 days, Green said.

A second request for proposal will go out, likely in the new year, to request a more in-depth exploration of the long-term options available for the town's water and sewage system.

The study is expected to consider three options, Green said. The options are upgrading the old utilidor, switching to trucks, or completely replacing the utilidor system with a new one.

The decision to undertake the new studies was made in early October, he said, in response to concerns raised by the hamlet and other stakeholders.

A report evaluating the options of replacing the utilidor and switching to trucks was done by Dillon Consulting Ltd. in January 2009, an update of their 1999 report. However, some of the numbers in the report didn't make sense to community members, said Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliot. He's happy to hear that CGS will be doing a comprehensive study, he said. "It'll be nice to have all the facts, it just wasn't adding up."

The community is loathe to give up its utilidor, which was installed in the early 1970s when Resolute was expected to grow to 1,500 people. It currently has 229, according to Statistics Canada. About 80 have signed a petition asking to keep the utilidor. Elliot will present it to the legislature when it sits Nov. 24, he said.

For the community, the present system means free-flowing water into homes, said SAO Duncan Walker, instead of having to budget water usage. "It's a lot to ask of a resident to go backwards," he said of a move to trucked water. Community residents have several concerns about a trucked system including a lack of manpower to operate the trucks.

"That may sound great to a lot of communities but to a community that already has a very low unemployment rate, to find and house these staff would be quite challenging," Walker said.

The system has been in line for replacing for a number of years, Green said. "The utilidor system is over 30 years old. It's nearing, it's probably exceeded, its life cycle."

CGS provides infrastructure funding to communities and then the system is maintained by the hamlet. In the Dillon report the infrastructure costs for replacing the system and switching to trucks are about $34.8 million and $15.1 million respectively.

"Most people in the community, looking at the cost, are thinking that CGS will go with the water trucks," said Elliot.

The utilidor sprung a leak Oct. 23, leaving several buildings in town with almost no water for several days.

"We are concerned, no question about that," Green said of the leak. "The system is very old. We're trying to develop an action plan here to help maintain that system and leaks may occur going forward until the desired option is implemented."

CGS is currently working out an emergency plan for Resolute, in the event of total utilidor failure, he said, though he couldn't give details.

One hamlet councillor has other concerns about the utilidor. Wayne Davidson says he has been monitoring it closely. He has forwarded concerns to the GN regarding the temperature of the water flowing through the utilidor.

"The way it's operated right now, the costs are going through the roof because there's absolutely no control over heating the water," Davidson said.

Green said that CGS has heard the allegations.

"We are aware of the information out there," said Green. "Like anything else, when we do our detailed study, we will certainly take that into consideration."