Beaver County Council will decide at their regular Aug. 21 meeting whether to allocate $100,000 for emergency repairs to the Kinsella Lift Station. The funding would come out of the general sewer reserve.
The Kinsella Lift station is “very outdated and near the end of its life cycle,” said CAO Kayleena Spiess, in her report to council this week regarding a priority list of infrastructure upgrades the county is asking for help with from the province.
“The county was unsuccessful in its application for grant funding and the lift station has now failed and needs emergent and costly repairs,” said Spiess.
Infrastructure manager Dan Blackie told council that the lift station “is in desperate need of upgrades,” after 40 years of operation.
Despite this assessment, the county has been denied grant funding to either repair the existing lift station or replace it with a new facility.
Meanwhile, the current lift station was being monitored and repairs made as needed until the grant comes through.
“During a recent routine inspection, it was discovered that both pumps were plugged and non-operational,” said Blackie. “After evaluating the issue, it was further identified that several pipes were also clogged.”
One pump was unplugged by an emergency contractor, but the second pump could not be repaired, and the spare pump could not be installed as its pipes are damaged.
“Currently, the system is running with one pump and is being checked frequently,” he said.
Blackie recommended that, “given the urgency,” the county will have to proceed with purchases that would include new rails, piping, and manifold replacement, electrical cleanup, and the purchase of three new pumps, with two used for active service and one as a spare.
Blackie said the lift station’s barrel and the interior of the concrete are both in good condition.
“However, the concrete floor needs to be replaced,” he said. “These repairs should extend the functionality of the lift station for 15-20 years.”
He estimated initial repairs could be completed by mid-September with custom made pumps arriving in later October. This enables work to be done in good weather with the spare pump being used to help offset the work of the only pump currently in place.
When the pumps do arrive, he said minor fitting adjustments will be needed in installing them but this work can be done over the winter months.
However, it will not be known until the work begins if there is a problem with sand damage which he said would make the repairs “far more expensive.” Also, Alberta Transportation would have to get involved as the lift station is so close to the highway.
Also cited was the purchasing policy that allows for emergency action due to time being of the essence.
Patricia Harcourt
Editor
