City lowering Speed River water levels on September 8 to install water pipes

Gow’s Bridge closure to continue into fall

Guelph, ON, August 31, 2015—The City of Guelph will be opening the Wellington Street Dam on September 8 to reduce water levels in the Speed River at Gordon Street. Lower water levels are needed  to safely install 180 metres of water pipes as part of the York Trunk Sewer Paisley-Clythe Feedermain project.

“The dam will remain open for the rest of the year while crews install the pipes,” said Majde Qaqish, a City project engineer. “Affected businesses have been advised of the water level change and we’ll complete the work as quickly as possible.”

To minimize the disruption to businesses using the Speed River, this portion of work has been delayed until after the Labour Day long weekend. As a result, Gow’s Bridge remains closed until this water pipe installation and subsequent Guelph Hydro work, can be completed. Gow’s bridge is expected to re-open by late fall.

“We’ve had a few challenges along the way,” noted Qaqish. “The unusually cold winter, the discovery of the drums and the difficulties experienced with drilling and tunnelling under Gordon Street changed the original plans for this complex project. This caused delays and we greatly appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete these important improvements to essential City services.”

The York Trunk Sewer Paisley-Clythe Feedermain is a $30 million, multi-year infrastructure project. It is the City’s largest watermain and wastewater sewer infrastructure project. The City’s 2009 Water and Wastewater Servicing Master Plan identified the projects as priorities in order to meet Guelph’s existing and future water and wastewater servicing needs.

Construction of the first phase began in 2014 and is still underway. This phase involves the installation of 2,200 metres of water and sewer pipes. To date the City has installed 90 per cent of the water pipes and 90 per cent of the sewer pipes planned for the first phase.