The City of Estevan’s water intake project continues to make progress, and should be complete before the end of the spring.

The intake project will shift the city’s primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam, which is expected to result in cleaner water and reduce the amount of trihalomethanes in the water. Shane Bucsis, the manager of the city’s water division, said they have been meeting projected milestones for the environmental side. There haven’t been issues with workers coming in to tackle the project.

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“With the pandemic going on, the company has taken quite an aggressive stance with how to deal with employees that are shifting in from other provinces, and they haven’t found any issues whatsoever getting work done,” said Bucsis.

Some items have been on back order because of suppliers have been on reduced hours, including large valves that tie into the SaskPower line. One valve had to be custom-built in Europe, it didn’t arrive until late last week thanks to the railway blockades in February and the onset of the pandemic across Canada in March.

But they are still nearing completion of Phase 3, which includes the remaining pipework from the intake to the SaskPower line being used for the project, and all the associated connections. Pressure testing still needs to be completed.

“The intake itself has been installed in the reservoir and the divers have completed all of the work and made all of the connections,” Bucsis said.

The wet well, which connects the intake to the pumps, has been completed, and now they are constructing the pump house building. Mechanical and electrical tasks will begin soon.

Some of the environmental cleanup has wrapped up as well.

Bucsis said the city is still shooting for June to switch over the city’s primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam, but that will be dependent on COVID-19. The city has to have the project completed by the end of 2020, and even if it weren’t finished by the end of this year due to the pandemic, Bucsis said the funding parties are quite flexible for project completions.

“The fact that we have so much of the project completed, if we get held up for something that’s completely out of our control, they’re quite open to that,” said Bucsis.

As for whether the city will be able to have a ceremony to mark the completion of the project and the switchover of the primary water source, Bucsis said something will have to take place. How it would look and how restrictions would affect a celebration aren’t yet known. It could also happen later this year once restrictions are eased.

This project has been something Bucsis has been working on since he arrived in Estevan in 2017. He looks forward to Estevan having a source of drinking water that is better tasting and of better quality, and will also be easier to treat.

Once the intake project is finished, Boundary Dam will be available as a back-up water source in case Rafferty’s water can’t be used.