Residents stock up for shutdown of municipal water supply
Feb 03, 2010 - 04:11 PM
By Parvaneh Pessian
WHITBY -- When Jerry Boychyn noticed water seeping out of the ground near his farm in south Whitby on Tuesday, he knew he had to prepare for the worst.
The owner of Boychyn Farms at 1475 Dundas St. W. quickly took the necessary measures, filling up eight pails and his bathtub with as much water as he could.
"I think where it broke, about eight years ago, they re-did all the water line and it broke at the joint between the old and the new," said Mr. Boychyn, who received notice on Tuesday evening the Region of Durham's works department would be shutting down the water supply in the area from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday in order to fix the watermain break.
Crews had trucks parked near the corner of Dundas Street West and Fothergill Court by about 8 a.m. to begin the repair work on a major water main.
"We're still digging down and figuring out if it's a hydro repair or a main repair but we're expecting the job to be done around 4 or 5 today," said Pete Cvancic, supervisor of water maintenance for the Region.
The watermain started leaking early in the day on Tuesday, prompting the Region to send notices to residents in the vicinity of Dundas Street West from 100 metres east of Fothergill Court to Lakeridge Road in Whitby.
Affected streets included Fothergill Court, Bluebell Crescent, Coronation Road, Halls Road North, Cresser Avenue, Churchill Avenue, Almond Avenue and Queens Road.
Along with Mr. Boychyn, resident Kim Driscoll of Fothergill Court also did her part to prepare to go without water for the day.
"I just filled up a few things of water, had my shower last night, did the laundry and just made sure everything was done before this morning," she said.
Joanne Wall of Halls Road said she appreciated the advance notice from the Region so she and her neighbours wouldn't be left high and dry.
"I made sure everything was ready by filling my buckets to flush toilets and for cooking tonight," she said.
"The kids are at school so it hasn't really had a huge impact on us and it's just one day so we can manage."
The breakage is standard for this time of year where the weather continues to bounce back and forth between colder and warmer temperatures, said Region spokeswoman Joanne Paquette.
"It's called a freeze-thaw cycle and what happens is the ground shifts and heaves, putting pressure on the pipes and part of the infrastructure breaks down."
When the water is reinstated, residents have been instructed to turn on a cold water tap only and let it run for about five to 10 minutes to avoid any sediment entering the hot water system.
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