About 750 cubic metres of potable water spilled from a failed rubber gasket on the Boyle-Colinton water line on Jan. 29.
The leak was found nine kilometres east of Colinton, just north of Canoe Lake, and took about 14 hours to repair. The line was turned back on at 1 a.m. on Jan. 31.
The Aspen Regional Water Commission first detected a leak along the 145-kilometre transmission line that runs from Athabasca to Colinton, Boyle, Grassland and Wandering River on the Friday.
The Commission continuously monitors the water line for flow and pressure, and keeps tabs on what is being sent out and what is being received. When the line showed a higher than expected flow, Commission Manager Jamie Giberson suspected something was leaking.
ìWe were able to isolate it to an approximate three-kilometre section of line. At which point, we basically had to ground troop to find where the leak is,î Giberson said. ìIt was dark by the time we got to it. So it had to wait until the next morning to pinpoint the exact location. It was in a farm field next to a forested or wooded draw.î
On Saturday morning at around daybreak, a team from the Commission and from Boyle, Athabasca and the County were on scene to repair the pipe.
Crews dug down three metres to find the leak and repair a failed pipe-joint connection.
ìWe were fortunate that the weather was unseasonably warm,î Giberson added. ìWe were fortunate that it was in a farmerís field (and) that there was only about a foot of frost.î
The repair took around 14 hours to complete and the line was turned back on early Sunday morning.
The car washes and truck fill in Boyle were closed on Saturday as a result of the leak but no water ban was issued. However, residents were advised by Mayor Bob to use water sparingly.
ìAs it turned out, we didnít face a shortage,î noted Charlie Ashbey, village chief administrative officer. ìWe didnít put a ban on any water use. It was just encouraging people to conserve. From the sounds of different people I talked to, it worked because some people said they held off doing laundry until they saw Sunday that it was okay and, then, they went ahead and did their laundry.î
