Emergencies - Protocol

NOTE:  For ALL of the following scenarios, one overall principle is to be followed.  If there is ANY perceived risk to the safety of the water being delivered to residents in the subdivision, it is important to first notify residents of that risk and recommend caution, boiling or no use, depending on the perceived risk, and second, consult with our assigned EHO to discuss further actions.  It is not necessary to consult with our EHO prior to issuing any precautionary use of our water.  Safety first.

A.  Contamination of Source (Kootenay Lake)

   It is possible that our source water could experience contamination which could be either chemical or biological.  Possible scenarios could include a tanker truck emptying its load into the Kaslo River, for example, or an extreme malfunction and overflow event from a waste water treatment system upstream from us (specifically Kaslo, since it is the only settlement with a central treatment that handles part of the village).

    We assume that the many septic field systems upstream from us could be introducing biological contamination into the Lake, but no government agency has tested to confirm the presence or absence of such contamination.  We just assume there is some, which is why we treat our water.

    Actions: 

• • Shut down lake pump if running; otherwise set controls to prevent further pump operation (turn timer OFF at Treatment Building or switch OFF the computer operated pump controls).  Remember, lake pump runs automatically at night after 11 pm.

  • Notify Environmental Health Officer

  • There may be Government Agencies who can be consulted.  This information will be posted once we can determine what agency might be responsible or able to provide assistance.  Hopefully if there is an event WE will be notified in some manner.  Any interactions with Government Agencies so far have indicated that they have no data on the quality of Kootenay Lake water and no information about what is going into the Lake.

  • Notify all water users to conserve water.  It may be necessary to advise NO water use, depending on assessment of the situation.  For example, has the contamination reached our intakes?  Were our intake pumps running at the time?

  • It may be necessary to flush and sterilize the entire distribution system depending on the nature of the problem.  This will depend on what type of contamination (biological or chemical), how extensive the contamination is and what the recommended recovery process is.  This could take some time to develop.

  • Start lake pumps only when water in area has been declared safe.  This will be done in consultation with EHO and/or whatever other agencies are involved.

  • Any advisories will be lifted by the EHO when deemed appropriate.

    Contacts:  Interior Health EHO, Dave McCormick, David Moore or any Board Member.

B.  Broken or Leaking Water Main

    Actions:

• • Notify all water users to conserve water

  • Locate the source of the leak using reservoir level strategies, visual inspections and selective valve closures.  Determine nature of leak.  Is it on private property (in which case, that property should be isolated from the distribution system) or is it on a part of the distribution system that can be isolated from the rest of the system.

  • Arrange for excavator (see list of contacts)

  • Contact plumber if required

    Contact:  Dave McCormick; David Moore

C.  Backflow or Siphonage

     This is most likely to happen if the pressure drops in the distribution system.  To analyze this, consider that the east side of the subdivision always has the weight of the water in the whole reservoir above it, making backflow or siphonage unlikely.  On the west side, properties lower down are under quite high pressures even if pressurizing pumps are inoperable.  That leaves properties closer to the reservoir where this could possibly occur.  Also, a massive outflow of water lower down in the distribution system could result in contaminated water being drawn into the distribution system from higher up.  All these need to be considered.

     If we become aware of an instance of backflow, and we can identify the property involved, the first step would be to isolate that property by turning off the shutoff valve at the street.

     Advise residents "downstream" of the source property to avoid using the water OR possibly advising a boil water situation, depending on what the contamination is.

     Consult with the EHO.

     Further action would likely include distribution line flushing to remove whatever contamination might be present.  It's possible that individual houses would need to have their water lines flushed as well.

D.  Contaminated Reservoir

    Actions:

• • Notify all water users of boil water advisory (biological contamination) or non-use (possibly chemical contamination) as required

  • Notify EHO

  • Empty reservoir and run lake pump while cleaning reservoir.  This might require a complete flushing using normal or slightly higher than normal chlorine levels OR it might require a complete distribution system sterilization as described here.

    Contact: Interior Health EHO, Dave McCormick

E.  Lake Pump Failure

    Actions:

• • Notify all water users to conserve water.  As a general consideration, there is sufficient treated water in the reservoir to supply the subdivision for well over a week, longer if some care is taken in how water is used.

  • Identify failed pump and ensure backup pump is used exclusively

  • Assemble a volunteer crew to remove pump and organize replacement

  • Contact plumber or electrician as required

    Contact: Dave McCormick

F.  Chlorinator Failure or Degraded Operation

    Note that our chlorinators require regular maintenance, generally on an annual basis.  Consult the maintenance record to determine when they were last serviced.  Maintenance includes replacement of diaphragms, cleaning injector intakes and also the release valves where chlorine is injected into the filtered water flow.

    Actions:

• • Determine whether bleach tank has sufficient solution and whether chlorinator is pumping

  • Determine whether water in reservoir has sufficient residual chlorine - remedy if necessary at the reservoir

  • Repair faulty injector (replace diaphragm, clean, etc., as necessary)

  • Monitor free chlorine levels in subdivision, including reservoir.

    Contact: Dave McCormick; David Moore

G.  Power Failure

    Actions:  

• Start reservoir generator periodically as required to maintain operating pressure for houses near the reservoir.

• Make inquiries as to length of outage (see FortisBC website or phone).

• Advise water users to conserve water if required (phone contact)

• If temperatures are significantly below freezing AND if power might be out for a long time, consider draining down the cliff water line so that those lines don't freeze.  To do this, open tap in treatment building, go to lake building and open drain.

• In addition to the previous steps, go to the treatment building and turn the timer off  or disable the automatic pump control system so the pumps don't start up once power is restored, just in case any water lines are frozen.  Once power has been on for awhile and the water line heaters have been operating, it should be safe to carefully try a lake pump to see if the lines are clear.  This MUST be done carefully by someone experienced with the operation of the system.  If it's been really cold, it might be necessary to test the lake intake lines from the lake pumphouse first.

    Contact: Dave McCormick; David Moore; Fortis BC (1-866-436-7847)

H.  Fire Threatening Water Facility

    Action:  

•   Turn on both lake pumps, bypassing filtration and chlorination

  •   Assess the fire situation.  Call 911 for Kaslo Fire Department and Ministry of Forests Fire Control Officer

  •   Notify residents at risk.  Take action by available residents IF safe to do so (see emergency fire equipment)

  • Our FireSmart Committee is working to develop home protection systems.  These will be deployed as available and as necessary.  This is a strategy still under development as of summer 2023.  Any possible actions will be developed as part of this strategy.

  • There is a possibility that we will have an agreement with the Kaslo Fire Department which allows them to access our hydrants when there is a fire in a nearby subdivision.  This would be a reciprocal agreement and has not been formalized yet.

  • The sibdivision now has a propane generator that can run both lake pumps in an extreme fire emergency situation when no normal hydro is available.  Maintenance people can explain how this works.

  • Realistically, if there is a serious forest fire in the area, the subdivision will likely be evacuated and firefighters will handle whatever parts of the water system remain operational.

  • Once everyone is able to return home (hopefully before), an analysis will need to be made of the condition of the water system to determine if it functions properly.

    Contact: Kaslo Fire Department, Forest Service Fire Control

I.  House Fire in Subdivision

    Actions:  

• Shut off street valve to house if possible

• In the event of heavy water use to fight the fire, the following procedure can be used to pump additional unchlorinated and unfiltered water into the reservoir:  1) Turn on one lake pump, 2) Open Valve # 1, 3) Shut off floor drain valve, 4) Open Valve # 2,  5) Turn on second lake pump.

• Issue an immediate boil water advisory until the reservoir has been cleaned and free chlorine returns to normal levels throughout the subdivision.  If the previous step has been taken, the entire distribution system will need to be flushed and sterilized.  Specific instructions are part of this Emergency Plan.

Contact:  Dave McCormick, Any Board Member or Water Team Member.  Instructions are posted in Treatment Building

J.  Unacceptable Water Sample

    Actions:

• Issue Boil Water Notice (BWN) or Water Quality Advisory (WQA) as required by EHO.

• Shut off water supply if necessary

• Isolate source or cause of the  if possible

• Flush and/or disinfect system as required (see specific procedures under Operations).

• Continue to submit samples for bacteriological testing (this is done every Tuesday morning).

• Contact EHO for approval to remove BWNs or WQAs

    Contact:  Interior Health EHO;  Dave McCormick

K.  Flooding

     Pine Ridge Subdivision is approximately 300 ft above Kootenay Lake and there are no water flows of any kind in the subdivision.  Other than the possibility of individual yards or basements flooding during torrential downpours, we assess the risk of possible flooding that would impact our water system to be extremely low, with the following exception:

     One annual concern is the level of Kootenay Lake and the location of our lake pumphouse.  As spring moves into summer and snow at elevation melts, the Lake level increases.  The highest level we've seen in the history of the subdivision had lake water within 1 ft of the pumphouse.  This needs to be monitored.  Should there be a risk of water entering the building, the following actions need to be taken:

    Action:

• turn off ALL power to the building so there is NO live electricity in the building.  This is most easily done at the top of the cliff where there is a power pole, a power meter and a disconnect switch.

• Notify ALL residents that we could be unable to fill the reservoir for some period of time.  With careful use, a full reservoir could last up to 2 weeks.

• Since FortisBC controls the dams on the lower Kootenay River, consult with them to determine how long the situation might last.

• Once high water retreats, examine the building for structural integrity, consider having an electrician inspect the motor control units and once all is in order, return to normal operation.

How to Contact Subdivision Residents:

• PRWUS has email, phone and text contact information for all residents.  This should be used as needed and as appropriate given the nature of the emergency.  Normally, Board members would be involved in making this kind of contact during an emergency.

• PRWUS has a Phoning Tree which can be activated by following these instructions.

• It may be necessary for various individuals to make direct house-to-house personal contact.  This decision will be made by the Board or persons responsible for managing the situation based on an assessment of the emergency.

• Notifications to residents could initially encompass a simple Quality Advisory, a Boil Water Advisory or a Do Not Use notice.  Once the EHO has been consulted, that notification could be adjusted based on the assessment of risk.