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2012 Highlights
January 2012 Snow Storm
From January 13th to 22nd the City
experienced one of the worst winter
blizzards since the memorable 1996/97
storm event. City crews worked 24 hours
per day to keep the roads in a passable
condition but this was complicated by
the severe drifting on many of the north/
south roads.
Public Works crews also had to deal with
the problem of deep snow drifts blocking
drainage channels in Greendale and East
Chilliwack. After notifying DFO, crews
undertook emergency in stream removal
of snow and ice from a number of water
courses in order to prevent flooding of
private properties.
Reservoir Cleaning – Chilliwack
Mountain
Reservoir cleaning is an important part
of the City of Chilliwack’s water quality
assurance program.
In 2012 Public Works along with Corix
Utilities carried out cleaning of 5
reservoir tanks on Chilliwack Mountain.
Electrical Upgrade Well #8
The City of Chilliwack’s water system is
supplied by the wells located in the
Sardis/Vedder area. These wells provide
potable water to the valley floor and the
surrounding hillsides.
Water Production Well #8 located at
44900 Keith Wilson Road was upgraded
in 2012 with a new meter drive and
control panel.
Freshet 2012
City crews carried out freshet high water
preparation activities in response to a
forecasted high freshet:
Mowing and brushing of the dykes
including the areas around the relief
wells was undertaken in advance of the
annual dyke inspection.
Public Works crews received instruction
on how to perform dyke inspections. One
key component to the training was the
personal safety aspect of working around
fast moving waterways. Crew patrolled
the entire dyke system for several weeks
including 4 days of 24 hour patrols.
A stockpile of sandbags and sand was
provided for the public’s use at the gravel
parking lot adjacent to the ball diamond
at Townsend Park. The 2012 freshet saw
Public Works Department
The Public Works Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of
the City’s water, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, road and dyke infrastructure, as well
as the operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
Utilities
The Utilities Electrical/Mechanical and Underground sections
operate and maintain:
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47 sanitary pump stations
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8 drinking water production wells
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13 water booster pump stations and 14 reservoirs
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700 + kilometres of water and sewer pipe systems
The City operates the water system in accordance with the City’s
Drinking Water Quality Assurance Program initiatives and the
Provincial Drinking Water Protection Act Regulations.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
The WWTP processes and treats over 6.5 million litres of
wastewater per year. The plant is continually upgraded to cope
with increases.
Fleet Maintenance
The Fleet Maintenance section is responsible for maintaining
the City’s vehicle and equipment fleet, which currently
numbers 205 units, ranging from grass mowers to dump trucks
to excavators and graders. This section also maintains the
Chilliwack Fire Department’s fleet of vehicles and fire-fighting
apparatus.
Public Works
Public Works liaises with local developers and contractors to
ensure there is minimal delay in connecting newly constructed
infrastructure, to allow new development to be serviced as
timely as possible.
The Public Works section maintains existing infrastructure:
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565 km of paved roadways
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38 km of unpaved roads
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305 km of storm drainage systems
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45 km of dykes
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Approx. 1000 km of open drainage ditches
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300 km of sanitary sewer
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455 km of water distribution mains
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4 storm water drainage pump systems
public works department
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city of chilliwack
| 2012 annual municipal report