Water shut-off Saturday November 6 – 8AM (or earlier) to 2PM

Next Saturday, November 6, OID water will be shut off so that the reservoir can be cleaned and the water source changed over to (predominantly) well water. In order to clean the reservoir it must be emptied, and due to recent land use changes adjacent to the reservoir, it is no longer possible to drain it there. Consequently, in contrast to previous years when the lakeside pumps were shut off at 9-10PM on the Friday before the scheduled reservoir cleaning, and any remaining water was drained from the reservoir on the Saturday morning, in order to completely empty the reservoir by 8AM on Saturday, the pumps will be shut off earlier, at 7PM on Friday 5 November. After this time, the only water available for consumption is what is contained in the reservoir (until it empties) and in the pipes.

This earlier pump shut-off means that it is much more likely that more properties will experience a lack of water and water pressure on Saturday 6 November than has been the case in the recent past. (Properties closest to the lake are still the least likely to be affected).

We apologize in advance for the inconvenience. It is expected that water service will be restored no later than 2PM on Saturday 6 November, and possibly earlier.

** Note that the boil water notice will continue to be in effect even after the changeover to well water is completed, since periodically water demand in winter exceeds the amount that can be pumped from the well, in which case lake water is automatically added to the well water in the system to maintain sufficient water quantity and water pressure. Although we had the water in our system tested last February, and it passed all the health tests, this result is clearly dependent on how much lake water is being mixed with well water at the time. Our records suggest that the proportion of lake water in the system is likely to be highest for two weeks or so after the changeover and from mid-February onwards (until we change back to lake water in mid April). Interior Health has advised us that they will not consider removing the boil-water notice for the OID in winter until there is no lake water at all in the system (unless it is fully treated to render it potable). The OID Board is currently working on resolving this long-standing issue.