District employs low tech purification solution

Point Roberts water commissioners have agreed it’s time to spend some of the water district’s savings to revitalize aging infrastructure. “The system we have was the best available 20 years ago,” said water commissioner Arthur Wilkowski. “Well, now it’s 20 years later. We don’t want to let the system deteriorate.”

At a special meeting June 16 commissioners approved $400,000 in system improvements, half of which will be paid for out of reserves and half of which will come from low-interest state utility loans.

The biggest ticket item on the project list is $125,000 for a new wireless telemetry and control system that will allow district staff to control how much water is pumped in from Canada, how much goes to the golf course and how much is pumped into the system’s two reservoirs – all from the district office or even from home computers. “Some of this is to make the system more secure, make us more independent,” Wilkowski said, explaining the new wireless system combined with a new $25,000 emergency power generator meant that control of the water system was no longer dependent on the telephone and power systems. “It relates to how we can deal with a natural disaster or terrorist attack,” he explained.

Over $100,000 will be spent at the Churchill reservoir replacing obsolete valves and old electrical systems, and $60,000 will be spent replacing and improving the system that disinfects the water as it is pumped in from Canada. “Even though the water is clean when it comes here we have to re-treat it,” to meet state and federal drinking water standards. Currently the district uses a gas chlorination system, which Wilkowski said causes corrosion problems and the gas itself is dangerous to use and store.

While the district will continue to use gas chlorination in high flow periods, they will be buying a new more efficient system and will buy a new liquid hypochlorite system as well. “In low flow periods there will be a different system which basically uses bleach,” Wilkowski said. “It’s less expensive, means less gas storage on site and is basically a more appropriate solution for our low flow times.”

Finally $90,000 will be spent on new paint and a new mixing system for the interior of the reservoir on Benson Road.

“ It’s to ensure everyone in the system gets the same quality, freshwater,” Wilkowski said.

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