After hearing the city’s current backup water supply motor is nearing the end of its lifespan, council wasted no time granting a request to include the purchase of a new pump in this year’s budget.
The motion was unanimously approved at a regular city council meeting on April 9.
“This is an emergency and this is why we are moving it so quickly forward,” Coun. Mike Bhangu said.
With a price tag of $600,000, the ask tops the public works department’s list of capital project priorities this year, superintendent Charlie Henderson said at a budget meeting last month.
If disaster struck and Merritt lost all power today, the city would be without running water within approximately twenty hours, Henderson said, adding they would not be able to supply the fire department with the water they would need to fight a potential wildfire during that time.
“In the event of an emergency, if we have to bring a generator into town to run our water system, that is not a reimbursable expense because we are required as a municipality to have a back-up plan in place,” added Sheila Thiessen, the city’s acting CAO.
“With this $600,000 we will [be able to supply the fire department with water]. We will be able to refill our reservoirs, power our UV project and we’ll also be able to power the civic centre to set up an EOC [emergency operations centre] with power.”
Henderson said he hopes to have a new backup water supply pump installed by the end of the year.
