Work on new well underway for Cmetēm

The Water Treatment Station (pictured) will see some upgrades
The Water Treatment Station (pictured) will see some upgrades

Soda Creek Indian Band (SCIB) has started work on a new well for Cmetēm (Deep Creek Reserve) as the existing well is slowly being depleted.
The new well, which will meet the community’s needs for the next 20 to 30 years, and the accompanying upgrades are anticipated to be completed by the end of October.
The casing, well and a shutoff valve have been put in already, says Capital Infrastructure Manager Dennis Elliott. They’ve also grouted the outside of the casing.
“It has been a long time coming. It has started. That’s the first phase and there’ll be a second, third and fourth phase which should take us to about the end of October.”
The other phases include upgrades to the Deep Creek Water Treatment plant, upgrades to the Pressure-Reducing Valve (PRV) station and the north and south reservoirs.
The new well will be connected to the existing system. Once it’s online, the old well will be shut off but kept as a backup, says Elliott.
“The old well is getting depleted: the water supply. This new well has tons and tons of water and a new pump and it’s going to carry us through the next 20 years, easily.”
The water quality is good and will be better as we move forward, says Elliott, adding that there will be less chlorine in the water in the future while ensuring the water is completely safe to consume.
“By the start of November, we should be using the new well. The upgrades should be in place and the entire system should be more efficient, more reliable and easier to manage in the way of water delivery and easier to manage in the way of chlorine delivery but less chlorine.”

Work on new well underway for Cmetēm (PDF)