Vankleek Hill may have avoided most of the flooding this spring; however, it had to contend with a flood of an altogether different kind last Wednesday.
On July 12, while drilling as part of a geotechnical study on a portion of Highway 34, workers punctured a water main at the intersection of Highway 34 and Main Street. Water soon poured out onto the roads beneath the traffic lights, causing a temporary delay through the town centre.
Though the resulting waterworks did cause some obstruction for motorists passing through town, workers managed to repair the pipe by the end of the day, without much more than a temporary inconvenience.
James McMahon, Champlain Township Director of Public Works, described the incident as “bad luck”. He explained that the water main in Vankleek Hill is old and thus has no tracer wire to accurately track its position.
The geotechnical study is part of a preliminary phase of a future project to replace a southern portion of road on Highway 34.
