By Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

The man overseeing the Gallagher Lake siphon repair project says everything is on track for the irrigation season.

Superintendent Andy Zeeman of H&M Excavating Ltd. took the Times-Chronicle on a tour of the site last week, showing the amount of work that has been done since November.

Zeeman said they are getting close to finishing the first phase of the project, which is the construction of the lower portion of the pumphouse.

“The new siphon pipe under the creek (McIntyre Creek) is in and we’re working on finishing the new inlet structure”

As part of the first phase completed at the end of March, the new pipe will tie into the old irrigation canal to run for another year, giving farmers irrigation water through the summer.

Zeeman said the job is quite intricate, noting they are working with a surveyor constantly to ensure it’s done right.

“It’s a very tight schedule we are under.”

He pointed to the new eight-foot siphon pipe coming into the new pump station.

Getting this size of pipe under the creek has been the most challenging task so far, Zeeman said.

Crews had to remove the old existing siphon that was built 100 years ago.

“They built it really good. If you go to the town yard, they cut out a piece of concrete that has 1920 stamped in it.”

Shown is the new pump house under construction.
(Photo by Lyonel Doherty)

The new pipe under the creek will be tied into the existing canal through the new pumphouse in order to provide irrigation water to farmers this spring and summer.

“It will be business as usual . . . nobody will notice anything different.”

He explained they are nearly finished rehabilitating the creek, a job that comes with strict environmental controls to ensure there are no negative effects on the fish habitat.

“We are confined to our work area. We have a permit to work in a certain area; we can’t go outside of that area,” Zeeman said.

He noted they can’t allow any dirty water to go down the creek. Besides, all of the fish were removed from the area before the work began.

Once the first phase is complete, H&M will proceed with the second phase, which is putting in 1,300 metres of water line down Highway 97 south before crossing the highway again south of James Ways and joining the existing canal on the other side of Gallagher Lake.

Zeeman said the entire project will be completed in the spring of 2022, just in time for the irrigation season.

Currently, there are 14 employees working on the project.

Zeeman acknowledged that COVID-19 has been a challenge for the company in getting some materials on site.

“We have to watch our working; we have to keep our distance. Nobody is going out on weekends . . . we’ve got our little bubble of people who work here.”

Zeeman said they have to follow the rules especially since this project is under a strict timetable. “We can’t afford to shut the site down.”