City of Iqaluit seeks feedback on water-pumping plans

The City of Iqaluit is looking to continue pumping water from the Apex River to Lake Geraldine’s water reservoir to stave off potential water shortages in the future.

The city is asking residents for feedback on these plans, before it applies to the Nunavut Water Board for an amended water licence.

Comments can be sent by email to water@city.iqaluit.nu.ca by end of day, Dec. 14, 2018.

A public review of these plans will be required by the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act and the Nunavut Waters and Surface Rights Tribunals Act.

The city says details on these upcoming public consultations will be available in “early 2019.”

The amendment would allow continued withdrawal of water from the Apex River, as needed, to supplement the drinking-water supply in the Lake Geraldine reservoir.

In the fall of 2018, the city was nearing a water shortage before striking a task force on July 24. It soon set up supplementary pumping hoses to divert Apex River water to Lake Geraldine.

Within just a few weeks, it had refilled the reservoir.

Lake Geraldine is an engineered reservoir designed to contain enough water to satisfy the needs of the city—an estimated 1.1 to 1.8 million cubic metres. It is refilled each year during spring and summer from snow thaw and precipitation, the city said.

But in years when precipitation is low, like this past year, the reservoir does not fill to capacity.

Iqaluit’s current needs could be met with only 78 per cent of Lake Geraldine’s capacity, according to the city.

However, a contributing factor to the water shortage in 2018 was Iqaluit’s leaky water pipes. These leaks resulted in an estimated 25 to 40 per cent of the city’s total water drawn from Lake Geraldine being lost.

Since then, the city has identified and repaired problem pipes.

The city has also said it has been researching options for adding water to the reservoir permanently, from Sylvia Grinnell River and Unnamed Lake.

“It will take several more years to complete these studies and to advance the best option through design, construction and commissioning. Until a permanent solution is identified, supplementary supply from the Apex River is a viable short-term solution,” said the city in a news release.