Water break dampens Christmas spirits : Shelburne Free Press : https://shelburnefreepress.ca

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Water break dampens Christmas spirits

The exact cause of the water main break that dampened Shelburne spirits two days before Christmas is still unknown. The alarm system at the water tower alerted staff to “a serious depletion of water” at approximately 2:30 p.m. December 23rd resulting in an emergency alert from the Town asking residents to reduce their water consumption.
Proactive steps were taken to ensure adequate fire protection and drinking water quality. The Mayor was updated on the emergency by Steve Murphy Dufferin County Emergency Coordinator and Town CAO John Telfer in the early evening.
“We discussed possible outcomes of losing so much water from the tower and quickly activated our emergency action plan,” said Mayor Ken Bennington. “Within minutes, our group was joined by Shelburne Police, SBA Engineering, Dufferin OPP, Dufferin Paramedic Services, Shelburne Fire Dept, Deputy Mayor Dunlop and Town Staff. The fact that we were approaching Christmas Eve wasn't given a second thought by any member of our crew. The safety of the Town and our residents was always the top priority.”
Public Works staff, Shelburne Police Services and Shelburne & District Fire Department patrolled roads throughout the evening to locate the water main break. Residents were asked to contact the Town if they noticed any pooling water or experienced low pressure, dirty water or signs of back up in their basements. Public alerts went out through social media, the Town website and Town LED signs.
The CAO explained, “Finding the break was the key adventure overnight and the discovery allowed us to isolate and repair quickly.” Early in the morning of December 24th, the Shelburne Police Services in conjunction with Public Works (PW) located the break; residents were asked to continue to conserve water until 5pm while the crews assessed and repaired the water main. “By 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve we were out of high risk for firefighting and back to normal operations,” said Telfer.
Regarding the break in the pipe, which was installed in the mid 1980's, the CAO said, “It is always difficult to determine water main breaks as piping ages over 30years…but based on their collective experience, Public Works staff have suggested the pipe may have been resting on a rock, and over the years the pipe weakened at that point eventually resulting in the break.”
In terms of cost, John Telfer told the Free Press, “The water main break will be covered under operational repairs. At this point, the final bill is unknown. The cost was significantly reduced by being in the remote areas where urban standards are not evident. If the same break had occurred downtown or on one of the residential areas, the risk and the cost would have been significantly more.”
The CAO sent out thanks to all emergency response teams: fire, police and ambulance for their “diligent efforts and team work” in the crisis. “To the Emergency Operation Centre who were busy all day and evening on December 23rd and the morning of December 24th, job well done. To Steve Murphy and the County of Dufferin, thank you for the assistance and guidance. To PW staff, who worked with us day and night, job well done. To contractors who came in on request, as well SBA guiding us as the Engineer, we certainly appreciate it. To Town council and administrative staff, thank you for going beyond the requirement. Last but not least, we thank the media for assistance and going with the update info needed to get out to the community. We appreciate the community partnering when things are at its most critical time. Well done Shelburne, well done!”
Mayor Bennington also expressed his thanks, “Although our emergency ended with good news, words alone cannot express my praise to all those involved throughout the night on December 23rd and 24th. I hope we never experience a true ‘disaster,' but if we ever do, the residents of Shelburne can rest easy knowing that this extraordinary group of people can handle it.”
CAO John Telfer and Mayor Ken Bennington coordinating emergency plans with the Shelburne Police Service December 23rd to deal with the water main break.

By Marni Walsh

Post date: 2016-01-08 18:22:59
Post date GMT: 2016-01-08 23:22:59
Post modified date: 2016-01-15 16:49:08
Post modified date GMT: 2016-01-15 21:49:08