Aldergrove Star, October 29, 2015

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StAr S | Thursday, October 29, 2015

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Junior Firefighter Has a Blast! Page 4

Installation of Aldergrove water pipeline completed Work to fix leaks will delay opening of third phase By DAN FERGUSON Aldergrove Star

KURT LANGMANN PHOTO

Aldergrove Secondary’s Shion Yamamoto (left) and D.W. Poppy’s Adam Van Der Goes in high school soccer action. Aldergrove Secondary’s soccer boys defeated D.W. Poppy’s side 3-0 in the Tuesday, Oct. 20 game at Aldergrove Athletic Park. Aldergrove Secondary has two away soccer games next week, at Brookswood school in Langley and G.W. Graham school in Chilliwack. Aldergrove is hoping for a playoff game or two at home after that, but this has not been determined yet.

All the pipe for the massive East Langley Water Supply Project has been installed, and water is flowing through some sections. But parts of it won’t be fully operational until January of next year, a report from the Township engineering division says. The $33.5 million project was originally supposed to be finished by late 2014, but problems with terrain, leaky pipes and other unexpected issues have seen the completion date moved back several times. An Oct. 1 unsigned memo to mayor and council says while water is flowing through the pipeline section that runs between Willoughby and Murrayville, “some work remains to address deficiencies” in the section that runs between Murrayville and East Langley/Aldergrove. Testing to detect and fix leaks is continuing on the pipeline between 236 Street and 240 Street on 52 Avenue, the memo states, and cleaning out an “accumulation of foreign debris” from the pipeline will take eight to 12 weeks. Leaks were first uncov-

ered during pressure testing of the line east of 248 Street. A July memo to council said the pipeline manufacturer “has recently advised of quality control issues necessitating replacement of some sections [of pipe].” The East Langley line is the biggest project ever undertaken by the Township’s engineering department, with 14 kilometres of one-metre diameter water main and a booster pump station connecting to the regional Metro Vancouver water system. Township planners expect the East Langley Water Supply will bring an end to the severe watering restrictions that east Langley residents and businesses have faced during summer months to avoid depleting the aquifers. The Aldergrove and Gloucester areas will continue to be served by the existing groundwater wells here but will no longer have to rely on the wells alone as the Metro water will supplement local supply needs. Work on the water pipeline got underway in May 2013. Despite the delays, staff say the project is on track to stay within its $33.5 million approved budget.

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