Departments

Water and Waste Services

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Citywide Water Advisory

The City of Whitehorse is conducting annual maintenance work to the drinking water supply infrastructure throughout the city, from June 30 to September 30, 2021.

The work includes fire hydrant flushing and valve exercising at various locations, which could disturb sediments and create lower than normal flows and fluctuating supply pressures.

If tap water exhibits a dark or cloudy colour, please flush the lines at home for up to five minutes, or until clear (the cold water tap in the bathtub works best). The water is safe to drink.

After the maintenance work is completed, the water supply pressure and flow will be restored back to normal.

Crestview Hydrants

hydrants out of order

Updated July 26, 2021

The “Out of Service” tags have been installed to remind Fire and Protective Services to bring an additional water tanker if fire extinguishing is needed in the subdivision. These hydrants do have water; however, a large and sudden draw upon them (to extinguish a fire) could cause portions of the Crestview system to drop in pressure prior to the pump in the Crestview pumphouse coming online. This pressure drop could impact the water quality in Crestview, so the tags are in place to protect the drinking water distribution system.

The City of Whitehorse is working with a local consulting company to update the response time of the fire flow pump that provides the pressure and flow needed to extinguish fires in Crestview. This work involves changing the pump from running off of the diesel-driven genset to on-line power, and programming the system to have it respond immediately if needed. Successful implementation of this work will enable us to restore functional access to the hydrants and we can then permanently remove the tags. Additional longer-term improvements to the water system are planned, but the scope of these improvements are not yet finalized and a detailed engineering analysis of the system will need to be completed first. When the engineering recommendations are implemented (anticipated date of 2023), it is intended that they will bring additional robust recirculation and pressure to the whole subdivision.

We anticipate programming and testing to occur during the week of July 26 to 30, and we hope to remove the “Out of Service” tags shortly thereafter. If a delay is experienced, we will provide an update to the website. Please note that if you experience any changes in pressure or dark/cloudy water during this time, do not be alarmed as this is likely a result of these tests. The water is safe to drink; simply run your cold water tap for a few minutes until it is clear again.

Thank you for your patience while we conduct this important work on the water system in your area.

Livingstone Trail Environmental Control Facility – Long Term Storage Discharge Announcement

The City will initiate discharge of treated wastewater from its Livingstone Trail Environmental Control Facility – Long Term Storage Pond into Pot Hole Lake and the Yukon River, from August 1 and September 1, respectively, until November 1, 2021, with an average flow rate of 38,400 cubic meters per day. The annual discharge is performed under the terms of the City’s Water Use Licence MN20-008. If you have any questions, please contact Arcadio Rodriguez, Senior Technologist, Water and Waste Services at (867) 334-7577.

COVID-19 Protocols

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Whitehorse is making temporary changes to Waste Services to ensure the safety of staff and the public. To see the latest updates on how to handle your residual waste, organics, and recyclables during this public health emergency, check HERE. 

In the event of City employees performing service calls to private residences, we are asking everyone to practice physical distancing measures by maintaining a minimum distance of 2 metres (6 feet). As always, we ask that residents provide a clear route to the work site by removing any obstacles and tripping hazards, ensuring that stairs and crawl spaces are safe, and keeping animals secured in another area. City employees may also take additional precautions such as wearing personal protective equipment. We would like to thank residents for their patience and cooperation during this time.

Who We Are

Water and Waste Services is responsible for: 

  • Water pumping and distribution
  • Sanitary sewer system
  • Storm drainage system
  • Curbside compost and waste collection
  • Whitehorse Waste Management Facility and Compost Facility
  • Warehouse operations

The department operates primarily from the Whitehorse Operations Building at 187 Range Road.

Monitor your pipes

Residents are advised that noisy water pipes or sinking ground could be indications of a service break. Any concerns should be reported to 668-8350.

Frost Depth

Danger of frost has passed. Effective immediately, all frost protection devices should now be turned off. These could include authorized free flowing bleeders, thermostatically controlled bleeders, circulating pumps, electrical impedance heat trace, and aqua flows.

Homeowners with aqua-flow devices are asked not to disconnect or use the device as a bleeder. Disconnection will result in plugging of the filters.

Frost depth is measured in meters.

For more details, please call 668-8350 from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.