Yellowknife to keep drawing water from bay as city deals with 'higher than normal' number of line breaks

While crews repair line breaks, the City of Yellowknife says water intake will continue to be from Yellowknife Bay instead of the river over the weekend.

The city's public works and engineering director, Chris Greencorn, said a four-hour power outage in the first week of February and recent cold snap where temperatures plunged to below -40 C may have contributed to the number of water line breaks in the city.

He said there may be between 12 and 15 breaks, which he described as “a little higher than normal."

Greencorn said most of the breaks being dealt with are on copper service lines for houses and buildings. 

He said repair work could take around four to six weeks if there were no other water line breaks.

He said crews are focusing on “high priority” spots, based on the severity and damage the breaks are causing.

“In saying that, we know there are going to be more water breaks and depending on the severity of them, they may bump up the priority list and other ones that I just mentioned might get bumped down priority if they're not causing any damage,” he said.

Because water consumption is higher on weekends, Greencorn said the city has extended its notice to the Mackenzie Valley Land and and Water Board to draw water from Yellowknife Bay. 

He said the bay intake is larger than the river pipeline and that it’ll allow crews to top off reservoirs.

Greencorn said he expects that by Monday water intake will switch back to the Yellowknife River.