(Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Keaton Brown

all along the water tower

Water tower in North Battleford undergoing upgrades

Oct 17, 2019 | 12:12 PM

Residents of the Battlefords will be sure to notice construction taking place this week on the water tower.

The city is having cathodic protection added to the inside of the tower. Cathodic protection is a method to protect base metals, like steel, which can be at risk of corrosion, by providing sacrificial metal that corrodes in lieu of the base metal.

Communication administrator for the City of North Battleford Dustin MacDonald said the upgrades should help with the longevity of the tower.

“This will prevent the water from eating the metal on the inside of the tower and also protect the tower from future leaks” he said.

The engineering firm Corrpro Canada is in charge of the project and Advanced Diving will do the actual work inside the tower.

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On Wednesday, a remotely operated underwater robot was used to check the inside of the tower and assess what work has to be done.

Divers will be in the water on Thursday to start working on the cathodic protection.

MacDonald talked about how these specialized divers work in public water supply systems.

“The divers are using equipment that is only used in potable water. During this time the water tower is isolated from the water distribution system. No water can come in or out of the water tower,” he said.

Residents do not have to worry about water contamination from the project as they have a very rigorous testing regiment during and after the construction process.

“During construction, tests are being done daily on the water quality and turbidity. They are checking the chlorine levels and turbidity. Before the water tower comes out of isolation they will perform tests on the water to make sure that it meets all the standards,” MacDonald said.

Work is expected to be complete on October 23.

—

Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow