The recent ice storm that wreaked havoc on the City of Barrie — leaving most residents without power for days — has reinforced local officials’ plan for more reliable standby power at the city’s south-end water treatment plant.
Despite the ice storm, which hit the area March 28-31, Barrie officials had already been considering the purchase of a $3.9-million permanent generator for the surface water treatment plant’s low lift pumping station, an item that will be debated at the next meeting of council.
The ice storm caused no power issues for the Barrie facility.
The generator, which has a 40-year lifespan, has also been on the local radar due to plant electrical issues. Electrical ground fault issues have occurred with the 13.8kV cable that connects the plant’s emergency generator to the lift station. In January, a tripped breaker on the line was discovered, leading to the installation of a temporary rental standby generator.
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“The current electrical power cable connecting the [plant] to the [pumping station] has deteriorated to the point where it causes recurring electrical faults,” states a recent infrastructure staff report.
To ensure the low lift pumping station’s system stays on line, the plant is incurring emergency generator rental fees of $16,261 per month.
Just north of Barrie, the City of Orillia struggled for more than a week with hydro issues from the same ice storm. Following the storm, the local wastewater treatment plant was struck by lightning.
