On Thursday, Sept 24, the Capital Regional District will begin emergency repair of a leak on a high-pressure regional water transmission main in View Royal.
Work will occur along the northbound section of the Trans-Canada highway between the Island Highway overpass and the Six Mile Road overpass.
The 1.2 metre (four-foot) diameter steel water main is one of the largest mains in the water transmission system and the sole water supply to the Saanich Peninsula, including Sidney, Central Saanich, North Saanich, W̱SIḴEM (Tseycum) First Nation, SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nation, W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) First Nation and BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin) First Nation and a portion of Saanich.
During the repair, residents and businesses on the Saanich Peninsula and in some areas of Saanich may experience reduced water pressure and are asked to reduce non-essential water use [e.g. outdoor watering, car washing] starting Thursday and until the repair is complete.
Impacted communities will be supplied water through alternate transmission infrastructure. The alternate supply route operates at lower pressure and has less capacity than the primary transmission main that normally serves the Saanich Peninsula. Water quality is not expected to be affected.
By reducing demand, more water and pressure remain available throughout the system for essential household, business and emergency needs. While most customers are expected to continue receiving normal water service, reducing non-essential water use will help lower the risk of low-pressure conditions in some parts of the system while repairs are underway.
Work will take place 24 hours a day, including evenings and the weekend, and is expected to be complete by Monday, September 28. While repairs are underway, drivers are asked to slow down along the Trans-Canada Highway work zone, follow the directions of traffic control personnel and obey all traffic signs when travelling through the work area.
Aging infrastructure increases the risk of leaks and breaks throughout any water system. The CRD Regional Water Supply Master Plan, approved in 2022, includes a long-term infrastructure program to improve the regional water supply and transmission system, increase redundancy in critical components, and reduce system risks. The Master Plan identifies future replacement of sections of this transmission main, along with additional infrastructure investments currently underway on the Saanich Peninsula to improve system resilience and reliability and help ensure the continued delivery of safe, clean drinking water.
We will update this alert to provide advance notice of any changes to the repair work timeline or water conservation requirements. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to restore the primary water transmission main.
