City purchases portable emergency water trailer

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This article was published 09/03/2016 (3790 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The city’s public works department announced Wednesday that it has recently purchased a portable emergency water trailer for situations when areas have “no access to municipal drinking water for sustained periods of time.”

“From an emergency response standpoint, the City of Brandon now has another tool in our toolbox to be able to respond to potential issues with the municipal water supply,” said Brian Kayes, the city’s director of risk and emergency management.

“Even though we hope not to make use of it, this equipment makes us better able to respond to these types of situations if they occur.”

The trailer is thermostat-controlled, which allows for use all year round. It is designed with a spout that can be filled up using water jugs with a supply of portable water for drinking or food preparation.

According to the city, the tandem-axle trailer can be sanitized, mobilized, and filled with treated drinking water within in a few hours notice in response to major water main breaks, underground utility repairs or even frozen water service issues.

However, due to the trailer’s roughly 3,300-litre capacity, it is not meant to replace a commercial water supply or household tasks such as laundry, dishes, or bathing.

“For example, we could make it available to a school if city work on a water main was interrupting its drinking water supply, or we could also use it if a certain building or facility’s internal drinking water distribution infrastructure has been affected. We can also set it up in a neighbourhood if there are larger water main issues that are being dealt with,” said Ian Broome, the city’s director of public works.

When it is not being used, the trailer will be stored at the Civic Services Complex on Richmond Avenue East.