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Fort William First Nation concerned about pinhole leaks

Leaks have been found in several commercial buildings and residential properties and Fort William First Nation officials want to ensure they are included in any solutions offered by the city
Fort William First Nation Arena
The Fort William First Nation Arena experienced pinhole leaks from copper water pipes. (Photo by Doug Diaczuk - Tbnewswatch.com).

FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION - Several commercial facilities and residential homes on Fort William First Nation have been affected by pinhole leaks in copper water pipes and leaders in the community want to ensure they are included in any solutions to these issues.

“Within the past couple of months we’ve noticed our commercial facilities being affected,” said Ian Bannon, director of Lands and properties with Fort William First Nation.

“That was just a routine walkthrough of the facility and finding water accumulating in the floors and finding it is coming from the walls. Through contractor consultation it was found that water lines are being affected.”

The two largest buildings that have been affected include the Fort William First Nation Hockey Arena and the community centre, which had to close briefly to fix the issue.

All residential properties and commercial facilities are on the same water system and according to Bannon approximately 95 per cent homes use copper pipes.

Bannon said there has not been any major damages reported by homeowners, but they are advising members to keep a close eye on their properties.

“When it comes to a person’s home, any damage is considered significant,” he said. “It’s manageable and we’ve been able to address it. But if it’s left unfound the damages can go into the thousands very quickly.”

Property owners and residents in the city of Thunder Bay have been plagued recently with pinhole leaks in copper water pipes. A suspected cause is sodium hydroxide added to the water supply as a corrosion control method, a practice the city discontinued last January.

City officials have not commented publically on the issue and Bannon said he has been in contact with the city of Thunder Bay but has not received much information.

“We have talked to the city but of course they have to hold their position and we respect that,” he said. “At the same time we want to make sure we are kept in the loop of any new solutions that are coming out form the city of Thunder Bay as a result of this and we are inclusive of any short term or long term solutions they can provide.”

In the meantime, Fort William First Nation will continue to monitor the situation, Bannon said.

“We are keeping our eyes on our facilities to ensure that anything that may rise in the future will be kept to a minimum in terms of damage,” he said.

“We are uncertain about the rectification of the problem yet. We are simply waiting to see what kinds of information are going to be provided from the city just as the residents are in the city of Thunder Bay.”



Doug Diaczuk

About the Author: Doug Diaczuk

Doug Diaczuk is a reporter and award-winning author from Thunder Bay. He has a master’s degree in English from Lakehead University
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