6 more weeks before Paradise sewage station is fixed, says mayor

A Paradise pump station that started spewing sewage in August won't be fixed until some time in November, says the town's mayor.

In mid-August, a failure in the system resulted in raw sewage flooding the lawn and driveway of a nearby resident. The town deployed pumper trucks to reduce sewage levels in the pump station to allow them to find the problem, costing the town up to $50,000 a day at one point.

Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett says repairs are going smoothly, but there are still parts missing which have been approved and ordered by the town and are currently being shipped.

"We're looking at approximately $1.5 million when it's all repaired," Bobbett said. 

The town asked the provincial government for financial assistance, but Bobbett said only a fraction of what the town needed was provided: $30,000.

Bobbett said the town budget has $1 million in contingency funds for unexpected expenses like this, but the money has been completely used. 

"Obviously we didn't expect to use it this quickly, but it was great that it was there," he said. 

Bobbett said there's no firm timeline for when repairs to the pump station will be finished, but estimated it will be another five or six weeks.

No comment

In August, Jim Clarke's home was flooded with sewage when the broken pump station backed up and exploded raw waste all over his property, covering his land and his driveway. 

Clarke told CBC News at that time that it wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with sewage from the pump station. 

When the most recent flooding of his property occurred, Clarke went after the town to buy his home to allow for him to move his family elsewhere. 

The town also agreed to foot the bill for a rental property for his family to live in until the sale of the home is finalized..

Bobbett said talks on the purchase of Clarke's property are continuing, but he wouldn't comment on the specifics, citing privacy concerns.

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