It's game on this weekend at Morinville's Ray McDonald Sports Centre now that the ice rink has reopened after an ammonia leak earlier this week.
Morinville public works manager Claude Valcourt announced Friday afternoon that the town's arena was once more open for business. His department had closed it indefinitely on Sept. 18 due to what turned out to be an ammonia leak.
Ice plants use ammonia, which is an invisible, toxic gas at room temperature. A large ammonia leak at an ice rink in Fernie, B.C., last year killed three people and prompted a state of emergency that led to many homes being evacuated.
When Ray McDonald staffers started getting "weird alarms” going off in the arena's ice plant earlier this month, they decided to close the facilty out of concern that it was leaking ammonia – something they confirmed on Sept. 19.
The plant has a sliding valve that opens and shuts whenever the cooling systems kick in, Valcourt said. The valve had corroded, allowing ammonia to leak out and tripping the "evacuate the building" alarm whenever the plant activated.
Contractors have replaced the valve and determined that the plant is no longer leaking ammonia, Valcourt said. The town has therefore reopened the arena.
"We are in business right now," he said.
All previously scheduled activities for this weekend, including Sunday's Morniville Jets game, can now proceed as planned, Valcourt said. The town is holding off on reopening the curling rink side of the sports centre for a few days to ensure the ice plant is working properly.
Valcourt thanked the public for their patience in this matter.
