File photo
Nanaimo’s water treatment plant has been restored to full capacity, after staff pinpointed an issue for the facility to a control device within the plant which malfunctioned during the power outage.
Residents and businesses may go back to using water as normal and city pools will reopen on Saturday at 5 p.m.
The City of Nanaimo is thanking residents for their patience.
Saturday morning the city allowed residents to use water for basic needs, but conservation was still requested as they continued to troubleshoot their damaged water treatment plant.
Enough treated water was available for basic needs for homes and business use. Residents were allowed to have a short shower and businesses can serve coffee, but the city asks that car washes refrain from operating.
The reduced water use was in place to preserve a supply for fire protection.
At 4 a.m. Friday the generators in the city’s water treatment plant suffered a breakdown following Thursday’s severe wind storm. After operators were able to restore generator power a number of critical faults within the plant were interrupting production.
Staff were working on two fronts to deal with issue, by treating the water manually and troubleshooting the root cause of the malfunction.
On Friday a “do not use water” advisory was in place that asked residents to to reduce water consumption by avoiding laundry, showers, bathing, washing cars, running dishwashers and flushing toilets.
Boil water advisories are still in place for the Beddis Water Service Area and the Highland-Fernwood Water Service Area on Salt Spring Island after power outages also damaged water infrastructure.
READ MORE: Storm compromises Nanaimo water plant, boil water advisory for area of Salt Spring Island
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