The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation can now kick into high gear its water treatment plant renewal project after several levels of government announced more than $222.83 million in project funding.
Representatives from the federal government, the provincial government, the City of Regina, the City of Moose Jaw and the corporation participated in an online funding announcement on June 8. The feds will provide $89.13 million, the province will kick in $74.26 million, and the corporation — which Regina and Moose Jaw own — will provide $59.42 million and be responsible for any extra costs.
The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant was commissioned in 1955 and supplies potable water to more than 260,000 people in the region, representing nearly one-quarter of Saskatchewan’s population.
Procurement of supplies will begin this year, construction will commence next year, and the project should be finished by 2025.
“Water security in this region is critical … ,” said Mayor Fraser Tolmie. “With these upgrades (and) our city’s installation of the new transmission line to our new high-service reservoir, Moose Javians and surrounding communities can be assured that we will have efficient and effective delivery of safe drinking water.”
This investment ensures there will not be a need for major utility rate increases in the future to address plant capital costs, he continued. Moose Jaw has advocated for this project because it understands how important and essential water is for survival and growth.
Moose Jaw has committed to replacing all cast-iron water lines, has already replaced 20 kilometres of transmission lines from the city to the plant, and will finish its high-service reservoir by 2022.
Tolmie added that this is a “momentous announcement” that involved the participation of many partners.
The upgrades will be important for Regina, especially since there have been many announcements recently about investments in the agriculture industry there, said Mayor Sandra Masters. She pointed out that this project wouldn’t be possible without the support of the federal and provincial governments or the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).
The provincial government has committed $92 million this year to support 143 municipal infrastructure projects, from bridges to halls to wastewater plants, said MLA Don McMorris, minister responsible for Government Relations.
“You know, drinking water may not get the attention of a new stadium being built, but it’s every bit as important if not more important,” he added. “It’s something we all use each and every day, all 260,000 people this will impact.”
The water treatment plant was last upgraded 30 years ago, is near the end of its life, and is almost finished providing quality water residents require and expect, said Dale Schoffer, board chair of the corporation. Upgrading the infrastructure will allow the plant to continue to provide quality water to 2050 and beyond.
During a media scrum afterward, plant general manager Ryan Johnson responded to questions about water quality and how there have been issues since water is pulled from the surface. He explained that the plant used chlorine in the past to treat trihalomethanes (THM) — environmental pollutants — but phased that out in the past year. With the plant renewal, treatment processes will change and TMH issues should be non-existent in the future.
“We won’t be pre-chlorinating at the lake, which is the easiest way to reduce THM formation, and our treatment processes will allow us to ensure the water that leaves is still better than it is today and not have the THM issues that we’ve had,” he said, adding parts of the plant will be demolished and parts will be upgraded with new technology so the plant can provide water during the next 30 years.
