Elkford residents face several more days without reliable water service as crews work to repair a failed pump and restore pressure to the community’s water system.
District officials said Monday that while temporary measures have allowed some water to flow intermittently to parts of the community, residents in the affected area are still being told not to use the water and should not expect normal service to resume immediately.
The outage has forced residents to rely on bottled water, public refill stations and water deliveries while using public facilities for showers.
“We understand that seeing water return, even occasionally, can be encouraging,” Elkford Mayor Steve Fairbairn said. “But it’s important to remember that this is not a return to normal service, and the current system cannot support regular household use.”
District crews spent the weekend installing temporary booster pumps to maintain fire protection and begin refilling the community reservoir. Officials said the temporary system is helping stabilize water flows but does not have enough capacity to fully restore service.
A boil-water notice remains in effect and officials warned that any water currently returning to the system is not potable and should not be used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth.
The district expects repairs to the main pump, currently underway in Calgary, to be completed this week. However, Chief Administrative Officer Jeff McConnell said residents should expect a gradual return to service.
“We have established six stages leading up to full resumption of water service and want to ensure residents understand what to expect,” McConnell said. “Even after the pump is reinstalled, it will take several days to move through these stages safely.”
Under the district’s restoration plan, crews must reinstall the pump, restore system pressure, flush water lines, complete chlorination procedures and conduct water-quality testing before normal service can resume.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyEastKootenayNow News Alerts.
