QAUSUITTUQ/RESOLUTE - Resolute residents have been without water since Wednesday morning as a section of the community's utilidor is under repair, said a former hamlet councillor.

Repairs to Resolute's utilidor mean residents have been without water since Wednesday morning. - photo courtesy of Wayne Davidson

Wayne Davidson said contractors have been repairing a 500-metre section since Wednesday morning and that residents weren't advised of the water shut-off in advance. The school was also closed, he added.

"They (residents) were not warned there would be no water and that was very bad. Without any warning, nobody saved any water or anything like that," he said.

Davidson said he expected the water to come back on Wednesday evening but he wondered why a newer pipe would leak while older sections are still hanging on.

"It appears they are fixing a section that was replaced brand new in 2007. This means they don't know what they are doing," he said. "We have pipes that are 40 years old … connected 40 years ago that lasted longer than the ones that were replaced in 2007."

The utilidor water and sewer system was installed in the early 1970s but sections of pipe have been replaced over the years, such as a new water and sewer line in 2007. Davidson estimates the new line has been repaired three times in about four years.

"Installation of these pipes should require great care and attention by qualified engineers," Davidson stated in an e-mail. "I doubt new lines got this care."

He added the leaks also damage the permafrost as heated water leaks from the pipes.

The Nunavut Department of Community and Government Services was not available for comment by press time.

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