The work on a well in the Nanoose Bay Peninsula Water Service Area that was initiated in 2018 is expected to be completed at the end of March.
The Regional District of Nanaimo has tried three times to rehabilitate West Bay #3 well without success. It has been in service since 1981 and was one of the WSA’s most productive wells. But the water supply has declined which hydrogeologists attributed to the long term accumulation of fine material adjacent to the well. It is preventing water movement towards the well scree and pump.
The RDN decided last year to redrill the well in a location close to the existing well last year on March 3. While the work is ongoing, the existing West Bay #3 well is out of service. Water is being supplied from the Wall Brook well and from bulk water coming from Parksville to ensure the reservoirs remain full.
Residents, particular in the northern end of the WSA, will continue to experience discolouration in the water while the work is being completed. The discoloured water should be minimize when the West Bay #3 well is back online.
The RDN indicated that further improvements to water quality can be expected towards the end of 2019 when the Englishman River Water Service (ERWS) comes online. The ERWS will supply high-quality, bulk water to the WSA on a year-round basis via the new water treatment plant currently under construction in Parksville.