This is to notify the community that hydrant flushing has now completed for the day and residents may now resume normal water use.
We will resume hydrant flushing tomorrow at approximately 9 a.m.
Thank you.
Water
Notice of Hydrant Flushing Completion (for the day)
This is to notify the community that hydrant flushing has now completed for the day and residents may now resume normal water use.
We will resume hydrant flushing tomorrow at approximately 9 a.m.
Thank you.
Notice of Hydrant Flush
This a final notice that Hemlock Utility Services will be commencing a planned community-wide hydrant flush within a half hour.
As stated in the previous notice, please do not use the water during this time as water pressure will decrease and sediment will be churned up within the distribution system.
We will send out a notice once flushing has completed for the day.
Thank you for your understanding at this time.
Notice of Hydrant Flushing
This notification is to inform you that community-wide hydrant flushing will be taking place from Dec 9th to Dec 12th (Tuesday – Friday), between the hours of 9 am to 4 pm.
Please do not use water in your homes for this short time period, as using the water during flushing may cause poor aesthetic quality water to enter your home. E.g. silt, colouration, etc. While this water is not harmful to your health, it is an unpleasant and avoidable circumstance in regards to water taste / use.
This is a planned annual maintenance procedure to maintain the good working condition of our drinking water distribution line.
Annual hydrant flushing is necessary to clear out the sediment and debris that naturally builds up in water distribution pipes over time. This is accomplished by strategically manipulating fire hydrants and valves to force water at high velocities through the system from previously flushed sections of pipe.
Flushing helps to improve water quality and increases the life of system components such as pressure reducing valves and line valves. Flushing also helps to identify weak or problem areas in the system, which can help avoid costly repairs.
After flushing in your neighborhood, you may experience a short and temporary period of low water pressure and/or discolored water. Although the water may appear, taste, or smell unpleasant, it is only an unfortunate aesthetic quality and is not harmful to human health. This is caused by the stirring up of organic particles and poses no threat. We maintain a chlorine residual in our systems that kills and inactivates any pathogens, as per regulation, keeping our water safe to drink.
If discoloration does occur, it can be remediated by running a cold water tap nearest to where the water line enters your home until the water runs clear. As well, tap or jug filters are also effective in helping remove the colour.
When it comes to the quality of the water as it pertains to human health, staff regularly sample water from the distribution system to ensure that water is safe for human consumption. This sampling practice is regulated by and reported to Fraser Health.
Thank you for your patience at this time, as we understand the great inconvenience this poses for homeowners and visitors alike. With ski season upon us, it’s important to complete this maintenance ahead of the busy season. Our team will strive to complete the procedure as quickly as possible to minimize the impact on residents.
The day of the flushes, we will send an email out to inform you that we will be starting the flush within a half hour, as well as an email to inform you that the flushing for the day has completed.
Thank you very much for bearing with us through this procedure as we strive to improve our infrastructure and systems.
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@hemlockvalleyutilities.com.
If you need to reach us more immediately, call us at the emergency line at (604) 314 – 7852.
Aesthetic Water Quality Issues
We are aware that some residents are experimenting discoloration and/or a musty taste and odor in their drinking water. While these are unpleasant effects, they do not pose a danger to human health.
Seasonal changes can temporarily cause this in surface water sources like ours – in this case, the recent heavy rains stirring up suspended organic materials. While this may understandably cause concern for our residents, we can assure you that the water remains safe to drink.
Hemlock Utility Services is actively monitoring the situation, with regular sampling and with the treatment system working as designed.
As always, we report regularly to Fraser Health and maintain open communication with our Drinking Water Officer.
The health and safety of our community remains our highest priority. If any new developments were to occur, our residents would be promptly notified both in email alerts and on our Hemlock Valley Utilities website.
If you or anyone you know would like to be added to our email alerts, simply send over a request to info@hemlockvalleyutilities.com and we’d be happy to help.
End of Emergency Water Usage Measures
As per our last alert, we asked that residents lessen their water usage as much as can reasonably be done in order to help manage excessive flows during the event of an equipment failure.
We understand the inconvenience and difficulty in taking these measures and thank the community for their cooperation and patience.
We are happy to report that the equipment failure at our wastewater treatment plant has been fixed and normal operation has now resumed.
All residents can now resume normal water usage without incurring negative affects to the wastewater treatment plant.
We apologize for the delay in resolving the issue, as the necessary part for the fix experienced extended delivery delays.
We are now creating contingency plans for a rapid fix if the same issue were to again occur, to prevent this scenario from happening in future.
We thank the community for their understanding during this event.
Emergency Water Usage Measures
Due to excessive flows and equipment failure, Hemlock Valley Utilities asks for the cooperation of our residents in lowering usage of the wastewater collections systems as much as possible until further notice. This includes limiting use of sinks, tubs, toilets, showers, dishwashers, and laundry as much as can be reasonably done.
An action plan is currently in motion to resolve the issue and resume normal operation as soon as possible. As soon as it is resolved, the community will be notified.
Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.
Drinking Water Update – Test Results Clear
Due to recent concerns brought forward by homeowners, a third-party testing facility conducted a series of tests on the drinking water conditions in the resort area.
We are pleased to confirm that all tests have come back clear—there are no issues with the condition of the drinking water.
The test results have also been reviewed by FVRD Health Inspectors, who are in agreement with the findings.
We appreciate the community’s diligence and will continue to prioritize transparency and water safety at Hemlock Valley.
Possible Water Interruption – Monday, June 23
Notice: Water System Stress Test
Please be advised that on Monday, June 23, we will be conducting a stress test on the water system as part of our routine infrastructure monitoring and planning.
While we do not anticipate a full outage, there may be temporary fluctuations in water pressure or brief service interruptions during the test.
We recommend preparing in advance by minimizing water-dependent activities where possible and ensuring you have water stored for essential use.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we continue to maintain and strengthen the reliability of our utility systems.
Further updates will be shared if necessary.
Water Service Restored – Temporary Cap in Place
Water System Update
We’re pleased to inform you that the water line leak at the top of Sakwi Drive has now been successfully stopped.
As a precaution, the affected line has been temporarily capped off and will remain isolated until Monday. This allows us to continue monitoring the system and prepare for the next phase of repair work.
If you are still experiencing any water service issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this time.
