The volcanic eruption off Tonga is suspected of being responsible for initial damage to the normally submerged water line running across the Ucluelet Inlet to about 280 members of Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet) First Nation.
A state of emergency was declared by the nation, which has been without its regular supply of potable water since Monday morning after its line across the inlet was broken.
District of Ucluelet crews and contractors are fixing the line, hoping to have it operating again by next week.
Delivery trucks have been bringing in 18-litre jugs of potable water and adding to the community’s firefighting reservoir, now at 50 per cent.
Both Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ president Charles McCarthy and Duane Lawrence, Ucluelet’s chief administrative officer, think the undersea volcanic eruption in the South Pacific might have led to the supply line breaking.
One theory is that anchors holding the line were dislodged by more frequent and higher tidal flows in and out of the inlet. Residents saw the higher flows.
“We’re working on confirming that but it seems all too coincidental that we had that tsunami activity on Saturday,” Lawrence said.
McCarthy’s daughter was out in the inlet to check crab traps when she spotted a tug pulling a log boom on Monday morning, McCarthy said. After it passed, “a black thing popped up out of the water.”
She took some photos of what turned out to be the community’s eight-and-a-half-inch diameter water line and sent them to her father, setting the community response in motion.
The line belongs to the District of Ucluelet.
As the tug went by, the dislodged, floating line might have been caught by the tug. The line has what looks like a propeller cut as well as a dent, he said. A seam on the line broke at the pump station.
A contracted dive team and the district public works team have been working on the repair. They took out about 300 metres of the 600-metre long line. A new portion will be installed and welded into place.
“There’s a lot of unknowns with respect to reattaching the line to the bottom of the the inlet,” Lawrence said.
“Our public works team and contractors are doing an exceptional job of moving this along as quickly as possible.”
The nation’s community services have been rallying to assist residents.
Water use in homes is restricted to toilets only and that water is coming from the reservoir.
Residents are unable to wash laundry or use water to clean dishes. Some have brand-new babies, McCarthy said.
Water refills for bottles and jugs are available at the Ucluelet Community Centre. The nation will be distributing 18-litre bottles of water to residents, taking into account family sizes.
“Once the water tower has reached a sustainable volume and first round of water testing is complete, restrictions may be eased to allow for sanitary washing and short showers. It will be vital to keep water consumption low when this transition takes place,” states a notice from the nation on social media.
