Watergate in Sharbot Lake?

Jeff Green | Oct 04, 2012

Photo: Crews continue work on the excavation site for the new school in Sharbot Lake, filling and compacting the lowest spots, where the water vein was revealed last week.

For years, the Gable family, Greg, Barb, and their daughter Katie, have lived within metres of the Sharbot Lake High School property, at the north end of the parking lot.

That will all change when a new 3-storey school is built on that former parking lot, putting them in the shadow of the new building.

Changes have come already, however. As the excavation crew from Crains’ Construction has been working away digging a hole for the new school’s foundation, there has been noise and vibration washing over and through their house since Labour Day - something they have borne with good humour.

“I’m not against the project,” said Greg Gable. “The kids need to go to school somewhere; they need an education.”

What Gable does object to, however, is living without running water.

After digging down 15 or 20 feet, the crews seemed to have finished excavating about 10 days ago, but then they started digging further, and last week they hit a vein of water, sending water shooting up from the ground. That vein was also the source of the Gable’s well, which is located upstream from the school.

“Our pump started sucking air and running continually last Wednesday (September 26),” said Gable.

That afternoon Greg went to the Central Frontenac Township office to report what was happening. Township staff told them that the township was not involved in the construction but that they would contact the school board and someone would get back to them.

On Thursday no one called, but something else happened. The water stopped running to their house. Completely.

Greg Gable called in neighbour Darren Ferguson, and they did some excavating of their own to pinpoint the well, which is a 21-foot deep artesian well located on the school side of their house. They confirmed that the problem with the water supply was due to a lack of water in the well, and not their pump.

On Friday morning Barb Gable called Sharbot Lake High School and talked to Sharon MacDonald, who told her that the school board was aware of the problem, and was trying to find a solution.

Meanwhile, Katie was calling around to Kingston and Perth to find someone who could bring water in for the house.

At about 2:30 in the afternoon, just after Katie had finally made the arrangements for a water tanker to come later that day, she received a call from Alex MacLean, one of the architects working on the construction project.

“He said that they would take care of the water, and that the excavating contractor, Wib Crain, would deal with it that afternoon,” said Katie Gable, “so I phoned to cancel the water I had already ordered.

Later on Friday, Jim Dicola, from Dicola Water Haulage, arrived with a water truck, along with Publow’s Plumbing, but because there were some fittings and other parts missing, the plumber had to return the next morning. He hooked up the water tanker to the house's plumbing and the water supply was restored.

“Jim Dicola, Wìb Crain, and Darren Ferguson all came through for us,” said Greg Gable.

The Gables are not as thrilled about the engineering company overseeing the project, however, or the architecture firm.

“Alex MacLean said we could call him again about this, so I called him first thing Monday morning to talk about a new well, but he hasn’t returned my call. We haven’t heard from anyone who is behind the whole thing,” said Katie Gable.