Town looks to old water source
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The Town of Virden is drilling a new water well for residents after learning that its current aquifer cannot sustain the population.
Mayor Tina Williams told the Sun that a drill rig was set up at a new location on Thursday, with the goal of supplying a new water source to Virden within weeks. The project has become the No. 1 priority for staff, she said.
“All of our focus is on this right now,” Williams said Friday. “We need to get off the site as soon as we can.”
The current aquifer that serves the town of more than 3,000 people was deemed seriously low by consultants engaged by the Manitoba Water Services Board early this month.
A public notice from the town on Oct. 10 asked people to limit their water use where possible.
Williams said the town is only asking heavy water users to be aware of the situation.
“The water is perfectly safe,” Williams said. “We’re not in an emergency state of asking people to not wash their clothes kind of thing, right? We’re just asking people to be mindful of water.”
The new well will be located off Provincial Road 259 near the Virden Airstrip. The plan is to tap into a source previously used by the town. It will solve the issue of quantity, but will bring back some old issues, Williams said.
“It’s an arsenic issue with the water there, and not an immediate health emergency type — it’s a long-term problem. But there’s just a higher arsenic level there than we were having luck dealing with at the plant, and that was why we’d gone to a new source,” she said. “But there’s no doubt there’s enough water there.”
The town will explore options involving new technology that may be able to address that chemical element in the water. Virden staff are working with several agencies to complete paperwork at the same time that the well is dug, Williams said. The goal is to have the well cleared for use as soon as possible after it is physically ready.
“We’re hoping in weeks, but that honestly depends on how things go.”
The town plans to put out a public notice in the coming days updating the community.
A spokesperson for the province said the town is working closely with the water services board and regulatory authorities.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com