A state of emergency was declared in the Village of Harrison Hot Springs Wednesday over a threat to the water supply.
In a notice posted online, Mayor Ed Wood said the move was necessary because of a failure of the water treatment facility in the community, which has a population of just under 2,000.
"The failure of two of the three pumps poses an existing or imminent threat to people and property as it impacts the availability of water for drinking and firefighting," the declaration says.
"This water treatment facility pump emergency requires prompt co-ordination of action or special regulation of persons or property to protect the health, safety or welfare of people or to limit damage to property," it continues.
The mayor told CTV News that the system is meeting capacity and the declaration was made as a precaution, in the event that the third pump fails and places the village in a "precarious position."
"It allows us the opportunity to make restrictions on water consumption which we may put in place just to reduce the demand," he explained.
Wood says a portable pump is set to arrive Wednesday. In the event of an additional failure, it would be used to ensure water supply for firefighting. In that case, the city would move to a boil water advisory. It's not yet known what caused the pumps to fail, but they have been sent for repair in hopes they won’t have to be completely replaced.
The state of emergency will remain in effect for seven days or until it is called off by local or provincial officials. Updates will be provided on the village's website and Facebook page.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Jonathan Szekeres
