Much work ahead

Sewer and water only is important to voters when they don’t have those services. Politicians realize this, knowing that once the pipe is buried, it is invisible to the electorate.
It is much more fun, and provides more recognition, to build arenas and resurface roads that remains visible to the public.
Last year, residents began learning how fragile our sewer and water system is. Through many councils’ benign neglect, a great deal of Fort Frances’ infrastructure is now surviving on emergency critical care.
The first infrastructure repairs occurred on the 200 and 300 blocks of Scott Street more than 25 years ago. There has not been any more substantial sewer and water replacement work done in the intervening years.
At 100, we all would like to be as strong and healthy as we were at 20. It is what citizens want of their sewer and water systems. But as Doug Brown, the workers of the Public Works department, and the council of Fort Frances are discovering, much of the infrastructure of the town is on its death bed.
Vitrified clay pipe has an expected 60-80 year useful life period before needing replacement. That is what is being found throughout Fort Frances.
The pipes along Central Avenue have needed replacement for a couple of decades. They are needed to carry sewage and water to the west end of the community—and unfortunately those arteries are collapsing.
The unforeseen closure of the 300 block of Second Street East on Monday came with road failure in two sections of that block. It most likely was caused by breaks in the 100-year-old clay pipe that is found throughout most of the central area of the community.
Town crews responded quickly, but it added to the confusion of driving east-west through town that day. Those crews worked well after the sun had set to have Second Street re-opened to vehicles for Tuesday.
We can grumble about the traffic snarl-ups as the town begins replacing those ancient systems. It won’t do much good.
We will be facing continuing repairs, and sewer and water pipe replacements, throughout the community for decades to come as council and town engineers grapple to breathe life back into our system.