Five days minimum needed once crews can access the wastewater treatment plant

The City of Merritt is beginning to provide some loose timelines for the work needing to occur before Merritt residents can safely return home.

The biggest issue remains the flooding at the wastewater treatment plant which caused the system to fail on Monday morning, and the entire community to evacuate,

Greg Lowis, EOC Communications Manager, tells Q101 that once crews are able to enter the plant and get it running, they’ll need five days to prime the system.

“The water is continuing to recede, which is fantastic news. But this is only getting us closer to the point where we can actually start the assessment of the damage. We know that the water treatment systems can not be used for five days, and that’s five days after we get them back online. As such, we know for sure that this evacuation order in Merritt won’t be lifted for at least a week,” said Lowis.

“Anybody who needs water within the next week, needs to evacuate the city,” added Lowis.

Those looking to evacuate are being directed to Kelowna, Penticton, or Salmon Arm.