Representatives from a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation were able to lend a helping hand to their neighbours who dealt with a recent crisis.
Officials from the remote British Columbia community of Bamfield discovered they had a leak within their water distribution system back on the evening of May 23. The leak was fixed about 36 hours later.
But a boil water advisory remained in effect until June 2. That would be 11 days after the issue first arose.
A release from the Bamfield Water System on June 2 confirmed the water from taps was once again safe to use.
“Bacteria sampling of the water system indicates that it is no longer necessary to boil water prior to consumption,” the release said. “You may notice elevated levels of chlorine (smell and taste) for a short period.”
Bamfield, which has about 200 residents, is located a few kilometres from the Huu-ay-aht First Nations village of Anacla.
During the advisory the First Nation opened up its government office in Anacla each day so that Bamfield residents could use the washrooms or get water if needed.
“We're very close-knit communities,” said Huu-ay-aht Councillor Stella Peters. “So, we work really well together.”
Peters said the boil water advisory for Bamfield did not affect any of the buildings in Anacla.
“We're on a different water system than they are,” she said.
Peters added it was a simple gesture of goodwill to open up the First Nations office to Bamfield residents.
“They just offered them the water so they could at least be able to do some cooking or have their coffee or tea, especially in the morning,” she said.
Once the water leak was repaired in Bamfield, there was still about a 10-day period when residents had to boil their water for safety reasons.
“If you’ve got a leak you’ve got to worry about whether something is getting into the water,” Peters said.
And while the advisory remained in place, Bamfield residents had the opportunity to travel to the nearby Anacla to get water.
“Our staff worked it out with them, just to help them out,” Peters said. “For us, it’s part of our emergency services, to help them out.”
The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) is responsible for supplying water to Bamfield. ACRD Operations Manager Eddie Kunderman said the leak was discovered between the community’s water treatment plant and its water reservoirs.
“It necessitated that we turn off all the water to the distribution system,” Kunderman said. “We turned the entire system off.”
Bamfield’s water supply has had numerous leaks in the past. Last September it was announced that three levels of government had contributed funds for a $1.2 million submarine watermain project that would take place this year.
The federal government, the B.C. government and the ACRD provided funding for this project, which is expected to start soon and be completed by September.
Kunderman said last month’s leak was not related to the piping upgrade.
“It was just a T valve that blew,” he said. “And it had to be repaired.”
Kunderman added this particular issue has not happened in Bamfield in the past.
“It was a one-off,” he said.
Kunderman also said it is impossible to predict if another similar leak will occur.
“It's a water system,” he said. “I think any time you have public infrastructure like a water system, things happen. But there shouldn't be any adverse effects from this.”
Though Bamfield residents were inconvenienced during the boil water advisory, Kunderman said he believes the real story is how the community as well as those from the neighbouring First Nations joined forces.
“They were working together, really showing you the residents pulling together for one another and coming together when you have things like this take place,” he said. “I think that’s a feel-good angle.”
Kunderman was also pleased with how quickly the water leak was repaired.
“I would say it was a bit quicker than expected when we first looked at it Friday night and when we first opened the ground Saturday morning,” he said. “Bamfield is a remote community. It is an hour and a half drive from Port Alberni.”
The ACRD offices are located in Port Alberni.
“We had a member of our water team here in Port Alberni co-ordinate with the city of Port Alberni,” Kunderman added.
ACRD officials, who run the Beaver Creek Water System in Port Alberni, co-ordinated with city officials to get the proper parts to repair the Bamfield leak. An operator with the Beaver Creek system assisted with the repair.
