It’s been a busy week in Dawson, most particularly for our city workers, and local contractors. We’ve had a couple of water main breaks lately, which happens here in winter, especially as it starts to warm up. (We’re up to the minus twenties today!!) One of the water main breaks closed the school for a couple of days last week when the water had to be turned off.

But on Thursday afternoon, it was deep in the minus 30’s, and the water main broke in front of the pit, flooding the historical, favourite watering hole. The water flowed for hours and hours, spewing massive amounts of treated water from our water plant into the street, overwhelming our wastewater treatment plant once it made its way down a thawed sewer, and cut water to dozens and dozens of houses.

By the time the water was stopped, and then restored from other routes to the houses, water and sewer pipes are frozen. We have a boil water advisory for the entire town, which is a boil water order for our restaurants and food service organizations.

We were not affected by the water disruption, but we did fill up some jugs just in case. We boiled water for drinking and cooking. But it sounds like the boil water advisory is just to be safe and there isn’t a known contamination. But some businesses have still closed, either because of the boil water order, or not having water, or having frozen drains. Even the liquor store is closed until further notice.

Thankfully, the Red Cross was helping put people in hotel rooms who didn’t have water.

It is Sunday afternoon now and the latest update from the city is that there are still 80 houses with some degree of frozen pipes or drains. The arena is open for showers and for water. Extra personnel and equipment are coming to help up this week.

The broken water main has been isolated and we saw last night that they’ve run temporary water service to the Eldorado hotel, above the ground, and wrapped in styrofoam.

The poor Pit is in rough shape, and that is before it got flooded! Someone fell through the roof on the left last year clearing snow, and it was just never fixed, and now that part of the building is braced on two sizes.

We could hear beeping alarms when we walked by last night, but it’s pretty clear the heat is off from the frosty windows. They have started a GoFundme to help rehab the pink palace.

Flood Relief for The Westminster Hotel (GoFundMe)

Will the Pit be saved!?

Update:

• Our school is moving to online learning and staying closed after discovering today that the school’s sewer line is frozen.