Repairs scheduled for East Reservoir

LEDUC COUNTY -- Leduc County has approved $77,000 in repair costs for the East Reservoir water pump.

According to the County's Utilities Department, "P-104" went offline at the facility in mid-March after experiencing a significant operational failure. The East Reservoir is one of two primary reservoirs responsible for distributing potable water across the Nisku Business Park, and the adjacent residential areas. 

The reservoir operates a total of four high lift pumps to maintain consistent water distribution and to meet the system's fire flow requirement. Leduc County Utilities Manager Shailesh Modak says their detailed investigation revealed that the failure was caused by a broken shaft coupling.

"When we sent the pump to the manufacturer, we found that the shaft was a problem," said Modak. "Basically, the motor and the shaft -- the connecting coupler -- was off the carbon steel."

In addition to replacing the shaft, several other refurbishment activities were deemed necessary. Replacement of pump shaft, refurbishment of the stuffing box and bushings, and sandblasting and recoating of pump bowls. One of the options was the full replacement of the pump -- which would have cost upwards of $166,000 -- however, it was determined that refurbishment at the cost of $77,000 was the better option.

The repairs at the East Reservoir are expected to take place over the next several weeks, and are noted as critical to maintaining reliable water distribution. The move is expected to extend the pump's lifespan by at least ten years.