State of emergency declared in Harrison Hot Springs as critical water pumps fail

The B.C. village of Harrison Hot Springs declared a state of local emergency on Wednesday as it deals with major water pump failures.

Two of the three water pumps at the village’s water treatment facility have failed according to Mayor Ed Wood, and he says this issue could limit the village’s ability to provide clean drinking water or fight fires.

“The pumps have failed in the last week and we are running on one pump which is which is keeping up with capacity right now as we are at a quiet time of the year,” he said.

“We’re trying to act in a preventive way before we would possibly get into a potential disaster.”

In the meantime, Wood says the village is setting up a bypass pump for emergency firefighting purposes, and he explains that one of the permanent pumps potentially could be repaired within the week.

In terms of a permanent replacement for one of the failed pumps, the mayor says it could take as long as three months to get one in.

The state of emergency is set in place until Nov. 8, but Wood adds that it could be extended or cancelled as the situation evolves.