22°c Partly cloudy
10°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Severed water line cuts off water to two communites during heat wave
The water taps suddenly went dry in Red River Valley homes at Dominion City and Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation on Tuesday after a contractor working on a bridge accidentally severed a water line.
Repairs are expected be completed and water flowing again by tonight.
The Pembina Valley Water Co-op has been trucking in water since yesterday.
"We’re trucking water and everybody has got water but it’s a lot of effort and expense for making a dumb mistake," said Gordon Martel, the CEO at the Pembina Valley Water Co-op.
Several hundred people in the two towns discovered the taps were dry yesterday morning, in the middle of the worst heat wave of the summer.
Local reservoirs fed by the valley co-op water authority dried up first in Roseau, where the water-line issue was compounded by malfunctioning pumps that failed to carry water into homes from the reservoir.
The water pipeline issue has been the main problem for the water co-op since Tuesday morning.
The water was literally cut off by a backhoe scooping up rock for a rock facing on the river banks at the location of a new two-lane bridge over the Red River at Letellier. The work, to shore up river bank erosion, was supposed to be the finishing touch for the bridge, which was replaced last year.
Instead, the shovel dug into the river bottom and cut through a six-inch pipe that feeds water to Dominion City and Roseau, home to several hundred people.
"They managed to break my line so we have no water going east to the reserve or Dominion City," Martel said.
A Facebook page for Roseau River is clogged with complaints, not just about the heat and water. Many said they First Nation officials were slow to let people know why they lost water in the first place. By midnight Tuesday, the page was ripping with frustration.
History
Updated on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 4:25 PM CDT: Corrects typos.
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- The end of the credit card?
- Couple faces new charges of sexual assault
- Gentle, humble native leader who made history lies in state
- A new mom's booze-fuelled hell
- WAG's 100 Masters exhibit drawing more than art aficionados
- Mourners line up to pay respects to Elijah Harper
- Police identify slaying victims
- Goose gets cooked in Linden Woods
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Police identify slaying victims
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- 'Responsible Winnipeg' ads appear on sign run by mayor-owned Goldeyes' baseball park
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Headingley grass fire destroys dealership's cars
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Man missing since 2009 found safe
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- U of M to chop $5M out of $642-M budget
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- U of M researchers awarded $9.5M in grants, U of W $2.2M
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Gentle, humble native leader who made history lies in state
- Accomplished Paralympian wins seat in B.C. legislature
- Elijah Harper: The humble man who said no
- WAG's 100 Masters exhibit drawing more than art aficionados
- Goose gets cooked in Linden Woods
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Fishing for fashion
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Newly minted MD a beacon for kids in youth program
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Bethania CEO put on leave during investigation
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Black market in moose thrives
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.