Today, the City of Estevan marked the official completion of construction of the first phase of a $9.4-million upgrade to its water treatment system, an ongoing project funded in part by the federal and provincial governments that will help safeguard the environment and improve the community’s quality of life.
“The improvements being done at this facility will increase the efficiency of local water services, improve the reliability of drinking water in Estevan and ensure cleaner waterways across the province. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting projects that protect public health, lay a strong foundation for economic growth, and contribute to a more sustainable future”, said the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.
“The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to contribute up to $3.1 million toward this important infrastructure project, which when completed and fully operational will improve the quality of drinking water for Estevan residents, contribute to protecting the environment, and keep Saskatchewan strong, thanks to partners at the federal, provincial, and municipal level working together for their citizens,” Ms. Lori Carr, Estevan MLA, said on behalf of the Honourable Larry Doke, Minister of Government Relations.
“The City of Estevan would like to thank our federal and provincial partners for investing along with us in the Residuals Management Project. These upgrades will ensure the residuals from the water treatment plant, which were ending up in the river will be stored and dealt with in an environmentally and sustainable fashion, thus ensuring a cleaner, safer river system,” His Worship Roy Ludwig, Mayor of Estevan, said.
Construction on the first phase began in June 2017 and focused on the residuals management portion of the project. Work included building settling ponds to store the residuals and the by-product generated by the water treatment plant to help protect the Souris River watershed. This first phase will soon be operational.
Planning and design work is currently under way on the next two phases of the project. The second phase will see about a 13-km-long pipeline built to move water from the Rafferty Reservoir to the Estevan Water Treatment Plant, while the third phase will involve construction of a water intake and pump house. Construction on these final two phases is targeted to begin in 2018. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2020.
Through the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – National and Regional Projects program, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are each contributing up to $3.1 million toward the Estevan Water Treatment System Upgrades Project. The City of Estevan will be responsible for all remaining costs of the project, which has a total eligible cost of $9.4 million.
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