By Colton Swiderski

M.L. water tower decommissioned

Jan 30, 2017 | 4:00 PM

Meadow Lake’s historic water tower was decommissioned earlier this month, but plans for its future are still up in the air.

Built in the 1950’s, for over 60 years the water tower pressurized Meadow Lake’s water system as it grew from village to city. Unfortunately, the tower’s time came to a close the week of Jan. 9 when a water main broke.

City manager Diana Burton said the fix, which was near the tower’s foundation, would have been more expensive than patching the break.

“Rather than spending that money when we were planning on decommissioning it in September any way, we just did it a few months early,” Burton said.

In 2014 the city began tendering work to upgrade the water system which included variable frequency drive pumps used to pressurize the system and back-up generators.

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Burton said council agreed on the project as the water tower needed significant work to remain in operation.

While the future of the structure has yet to be determined, Burton added it could remain standing as a Meadow Lake landmark.

“There’s some wearing on the thickness of the bowl so when it’s filled with water that can be a concern but empty you don’t have that same concern,” she said.

cswiderski@jpbg.ca
@coltonswiderski.  

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated at 11:47 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31.