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Jasper’s new hostel is still without a sewage line thanks to our bitterly cold winter freezing up critical utilities.
The town’s Operations department has been planning to install a new lift station in the Sleepy Hollow area but there have been a number of problems and delays.
Sewage lift stations, also called pump stations, are used for pumping wastewater or sewage from a lower to higher elevation.
Difficulty accessing the site, ground squirrels and frozen pipes have been causing headaches for the project.
According to John Greathead, Operations director, the water line to service the hostel comes from what has typically been a seasonal line and it needs to thaw so the property can be finished.
He said: “Dealing with the hostel, I don’t want to make any promises right now.”
A hostel official wouldn’t comment on the issues with municipal infrastructure.
Greathead anticipates the department will be breaking ground this week on the Sleepy Hollow Lift Station and it should be complete near the first week of June.
But the hostel needs a temporary sewage pumping arrangement before people move in on May 1.
Greathead said he has given hostel officials options and preferred solutions to the problem, but an overland hose is not an option as it is “completely against code”.
“We are trying not to hold them back but the water main is frozen solid at Home Hardware and it is a single line,” he said.
Greathead said the department can expect to open the hydrant in the area around the May 24 long weekend, but at the moment that line is completely frozen.
“We are trying to look for options,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sleepy Hollow Road remains closed for an emergency utility repair in front of the hostel, which is where the source water mains are located, for at least another week (the municipality said 12 days starting April 20). A town official said this repair is separate from the sewer lift station issues.
