Sandspit is getting closer to having a community water system.
Construction should begin in the New Year and be finished by July, said Sandspit's water and sewer commission chair Brian Charman. The community has been working to get a water system for the last five years. Three wells have been dug, and now the distribution system needs to be built.
The system will include a 572,000 litre reservoir, 10 km of pipe and 200 service connections and three pump stations.
Sandspit has had trouble with its water in the past. Some private wells have had boil water advisories from time to time, said Mr. Charman, and the water in Hardingville, on the western side of Sandspit, has always been poor, he said.
Mr. Charman would not say what the project will cost because tenders are not yet closed. Sandspit has raised money from federal and provincial grants as well as the Gwaii Trust, and hopes to build it without borrowing money. However, that can't be finalised, said Mr. Charman, until the community knows the actual costs of construction.
The wells will produce enough water for about 600 people, said Mr. Charman. Sandspit has about 350 residents now.
No sewer system will be installed at this time, despite the name of the commission. When the community began this project five years ago, it initially investigated getting both, and then decided to just go for the water system, said Mr. Charman.