Putting in new water lines isn't usually considered delicate work, but on a national historic site it is.

Mike McLean, with the Bar U Ranch south of Longview, says the $4 million in federal infrastructure program spending hasn't begun as they continue to work on the designs.

"We do have some construction on the Bar U right now, it's not part of the federal infrastructure program, the construction we're doing right now is part of our regular operations and maintenance budget and just some upgrades for the Bar U," McLean says. "We're on the last phase of upgrading our water systems. This is for public water for the site."

He says about four years ago the well, which was an infiltration gallery, essentially a shallow well, ad reach the end of its life and it was time to look at either upgrading that system or coming up with something new. Parks Canada decided to go with a cistern and a treatment plant at the visitor's centre. McLean says they're putting in a water line to take the water down to the buildings on site, including the historic cookhouse, the washrooms located in the historic coal shed as well as the historic Pearson house, the Ranch house and the new workshop at the far end of the cite.

McLean says they using a directional drilling method so they keep disruption to the ground minimal.

"When we do disturb the ground we like to have archeologists come in an help tell more of the story of the Bar U," he explains. "The directional drilling goes along, doesn't disturb the ground, they come up every so often to make connections and then our archeologists can come in and sift through and find what they can about the daily life of the Bar U."

He says the warm weather has help get the work done.

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