hHURON AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Please be advised that Huron Ave will be closed from Woodward Ave to Murray St. due to work taking place as part of the Huron Ave. Reconstruction Project
- The closure will be in place at 7:00 am on September 11, 2024 for approximately 3 months until December 20.
- The site will be closed to traffic and access around the site is available in via Scott Ave .
- Traffic along Murray St. and Woodward Ave will remain open.
The following links will keep you informed on the Huron Avenue Reconstruction Project.
If you have any questions about the project that are not answered by following the links, please email info@blindriver.ca or call the municipal office at 705-356-2251.
Huron Avenue Reconstruction Project Power Point Presentation
Huron Avenue Reconstruction Project Power Point Presentation; July 18th
DRAWINGS - RED shows the proposed sidewalk location. BLACK shows the previous sidewalk location.
New Water Intake & Huron Street Reconstruction Phase 1 - Updated Design
Q&A from Public Information Session April 16, 2024
Q&A from Public Information Session July 18th, 2024
Class Environmental Assessment Study
Q&A Public Information Session New Water Source October 17, 2024
| How long have the existing wells been there? |
| They have been there many years and are deteriorating. We don’t want to wait until it is too late to do something about it. |
| Is it accurate that 2500 residents are serviced by the town water system? |
| Yes, not residents are on Town water. |
| Why can’t we drill new wells? |
| It is very costly to drill new wells and would end up with the same issues. The Town started out with 10 wells originally and are now down to 5. Several areas were looked at and they all had the same kind of water so it would lead to the same situation. The casings deteriorate quickly. The water at the well sites is poor quality. It is treated properly and safe to drink. The cost to rehabilitate the wells is greater than the return. |
| A general concern is that the Well water is not exposed to all the negatives as it would be from the lake. |
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Comparison was done from the river and the wells. The water chemistry and risks that come into play were all taken into consideration. It costs a lot of money to clean the water from the wells. The most cost effective was determined to be the lake. That is the best chance of getting good water. |
| Will taxes be cheaper? |
| No, the project to switch the source will require an substantial initial cost but it will reduce the cost required to treat the water which will represent a long-term cost savings to the municipality. |
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What will we do if there is Algae near the intake? |
| The program is monitored. The Blue/Green Algae is not prevalent here yet. We accounted for all possible hazards. Operational procedures will be in place to continually monitor this and ensure adjustments to the process are made if blue-green algae is detected.. Algae can be mitigated with filtration. |
| Are there provisions for Blue-green algae? |
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Explained the HAB protocol (MECP), the screening systems in place, the IPZ warning system with SAC and the coagulation and filtration removal processes in place to provide a multibarrier system. (This question was brought up twice because there was an article on the news the night before.) |
| Are you planning to use the wells as a back up plan? |
| Explained, not feasible and why. The chemistry does not support mixing the sources without major challenges and the wells can not be off for a period of time without fouling. The wells are only producing a small fraction of the required capacity and continuing to draw on them is stressing the aquifer. ( approx. 5 to 20 l/s total) (1-5 l/s per well) |
| What is the plan for the property where the wells are now? |
| The wells will be decommissioned. As for the well buildings and land, a plan will be put in place at a later date. |
| How long have the current wells been in service? (leading to why wasn't this noticed sooner?) |
| Explained that the water quality exceedances of the (aesthetic objectives for Mn, Fe, color, Turbidity, Bacteria & HS) wells were identified in an EA report completed in 1996 (Kresin Eng.) and 3 recommendations were made for alternative solutions at that time. Conventional treatment was preferred. Mention of a new lake intake was made but the town did not feel the need to move away from the wells just yet with the install of the new treatment plant. (likely because of cost) |
| Why hasn’t the plant been used for the lake if it was the intention when it was built? |
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That was a decision of the Council of the day. |
| Is the nearby WWTP a concern? Will we be sucking in wastewater? |
| Showed the audience the WWTP outfall location entering the river. Reviewed the most likely hydraulic path of the river mouth outfall into the lake and explained that in the rare case of bypass event, storm condition and a shift in winds that this would be possible but the WWTP would communicate the event to the WTP and the intake would be shut down, town run on storage, until the threat has passed. Also, the treatment systems in the WTP are capable of handing the increased treatment requirements and also explained that the sampling results that were taken from the WWTP outfall showed very good water quality. |
| Will the plant be used for this new project? |
| Yes. The plant will be utilized for the new water source with minor modifications to the current treatments process. |
| How will the drilling at the highway work? |
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Horizontal direct drilling will be used which is the same system that was used for the New Treatment Centre will be used. This is a trenchless technology which allows the new piping to be installed without disturbing the highway. |
| Has the system been tested to see how it holds up with ice in the winter? |
| Yes. It is designed for this. |
| Protection from Ice & Mussels? |
| Showed the protection cage design and explained how the screening systems and blowback systems would provide protection from frazil and mussel build up. |
| Will the staffing still be the same? |
| Yes. The low lift pumping station can be monitored and controlled remotely. Staff can easily incorporate the standard inspection and maintenance required at the facility in their routine operations at the WWTP. |
| What if there is a failure at the intake? |
| There is approximately 30 hours of water in the standpipe. This provides sufficient time to engage the town's emergency response plan. The process would be the same if we were to have a failure of the current source. |
| When will the project be finished? |
| The estimated completion will be as early as the end of 2025 - 2026 |
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Is the Storage tank capable of supporting the town and for how long. Concerns with condition/age? |
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The storage tank (standpipe) can hold 3000m3. Taking into account 50% volume reserved for a fire emergency, the town can run from storage for about 36-40 hours at average demand flow. The condition of the tank was assessed in 2022. |
On slide 10, the intake pipe runs parallel to the train tracks and has two 90o elbows between Martin St. leading up to Huron St. Have you considered straightening the pipe a bit and come down to meet the LLPS , on an angle from Huron St, after crossing the tracks? Concerns are pipe elbows increasing friction and break points, subject to water hammer and surges. More connections = more weak points and running beside the tracks could be impacted by constant vibration. Also, considerations for maintenance, if it breaks there that they would have to shut down the trainline for the repair. I said that I would pass on this concern to the design team for their opinion. (See drawn in yellow)
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