CRAIK—The long-anticipated upgrades to Craik’s water plant have begun.

Work to install a new water treatment system, a sapphire integrated biological reverse-osmosis membrane (SIBROM), began Aug. 27.

Craik will continue drawing water from the intake at the Arm River dam east of town.

Divers will be out there this week to upgrade the intake screen. This project is intended to allow the community to draw water without as much risk of floor bed silt entering the system, says Craik’s water plant operator Kevin Gilby.

Black and MacDonald has been contracted to do the mechanical and electrical side of the upgrade. Last week they removed half of the existing sand filters in the treatment plant.

Because the process creates more demand on the remaining filters, Gilby said, the work was scheduled to start after summer when peak water use tapers off.

At present, 25 per cent of the Mainstream system is off-line as it is being partially decommissioned.

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