Paradise approves ‘grounded’ motion for new lift station

By Mark Squibb

Paradise council has approved an independent power source for the new St. Thomas Line lift station back up generator.
The new power source is necessary because the backup generator currently gets its electricity from the old lift station which is set to be decommissioned once the new lift station is completed.
“The current generator is grounded through wiring within the existing lift station, and when the existing pump station is decommissioned, the existing grounding for the generator will also be removed, requiring a new ground to be installed at the generator,” said Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street.
The proposed change notice (the fifty-sixth for the project) would include a grounding conductor and the necessary grounding rods be installed at a cost of $6,758, HST included.
Street likened the work to the “passing of the baton” from the old lift station to the new.
Councillor Glen Carew asked for clarification on the motion, and Manager of Engineering Services Chris Connolly explained the existing generator will act as a back up for the new lift station.
Connolly said that during the design phase, the assumption – based on ‘as built’ information provided by the Town’ – was made that the generator would be grounded independently of the lift station, but shortly after work began the contractor discovered the generator was wired through the old lift station that is set to be decommissioned, which necessitated a grounding conductor and rod be installed.
The motion was approved unanimously.