City of Iqaluit works to restore water to residents

City crews and contractors are working to restore water to residents in Iqaluit’s 100, 400 and 500 sectors. (FILE PHOTO)

The City of Iqaluit says its crews are working to get water running again for residents of Suputi Street in Happy Valley, some of whom say they’ve been without water for five days.

City workers are trying to find out what could have caused the freeze-up in a section of the city’s utilidor system last week, where water was cut off to a number of houses in the 400 and 500 section.

On March 13, the city sent out a release saying contractors were trying to thaw out a section of pipe in the 500 section.

But as of March 16, a number of residents still had no running water, including a number of units at the Stone Ridge building and along Nipisa and Sinaa Streets in lower Iqaluit.

“We want to reassure residents that are affected by this that city crews are doing their utmost to rectify this problem,” said the city in a March 16 update.

For residents who are still without water, the city has asked that they call a plumbing company to have their water line picked.

If any residents still need water delivery, they can contact Tommy Inookie at the city’s trucked services unit at 222-1522.

“The city of Iqaluit would like to apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused,” said the city’s release. “Our city crew and contractors has been working non-stop to fix the issue.”

The city said March 16 that its investigation into the issue will help officials understand what caused the initial freeze-up and define who will be responsible for insurance costs.

Also on March 16, a sewage line partially froze at Aqsarniit Middle School, affecting the Grade 8 wing of the school and cancelling classes for that grade level for the rest of the day. The rest of the school remains open.