Amphibex to Go to Work Tomorropw

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. -  The owner of Eco Technologies out of  New Brunswick  says he is 99% sure his amphibex can clear the ice jam from the Nechako River. Paul Laplante met with reportes today  and says  "Only God gives a full guarantee."

Laplante's machine will arrive  this afternoon, and the machine will be launched into the Fraser River tomorrow morning at Paddlewheel  Park.  The machine will then be used to  break ice in the Frasef, so there is place to put the ice  pulled from the Nechako.

Lyle Larson,  a hydrologist with the  Water Stewardship department of the Provincial Ministry of the Envoionment says the  conditions are  right to use this equipment "There is evidence the  ice is deteriorating and the water levels have been dropping, so the conditions are right."

Experts had  initially said there was nothing that could be done with the jam because the Fraser River was frozen over and there was no place for the ice to go.  When asked if his machine  could have cut  through the Fraser  before now  and  cleared the jam in the Nechako, Laplante said, "Oh sure,  but I would have to learn the river"  By that  he means he would have to have information about the  current and the normal  water channels.

City Information  Officer, Don Schaffer was asked, if this equipment  is capable of cutting  through the Fraser , why  didn't the City  call for it before now?  "Our experts told us there was nothing that could be done, and the Province told us there was nothing  that could be done, so we trusted that information." Schaffer says he beleives the  two independent  hydrologists that were hired  were aware  of the  amphibex machinery "Of course if I owned that machinery I would likely say it could do the  job too," says Schaffer.    

The expected cost to  have the amphibex working 24 hours a day for a full  ten days is $300 thousand dollars.  Laplante has three 2 person teams to  cover three shifts.

The City is  going to proceed with  it's  water injection plan.  When complet,  City Chief Engineer Dave Dyer says it will p[ump 8-9 thousand gallons of water per minute into the  Nechako,  and when added to  the  ground and well water being pumped into the river, there will be  about 25 thousand gallons of water per minute being pumped into the Nechako. 

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