Water Treatment Plant Gets $20.6 Million

Robert Thomas

In a Council meeting, to a City Council recently wracked by bad news, Mayor Frasier Tolmie stood up to acknowledge what he described as “great news for the community”.

“The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation is extremely pleased with this funding announcement of financial support by the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan for the Electrical Capital Upgrades Project.

These funds will be used to replace electrical infrastructure that has reached the end of its life and increases the reliability of the supply of potable water to the Cities of Regina and Moose Jaw and the Region we serve,” Dale Schoffer, Board Chair of the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation said in the release.

As part of an infrastructure program the Federal, Provincial and City governments announced $20.6 million has been allocated for upgrades of the electrical pumps at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant. The remainder of the estimated $32.1 million project will be funded by the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation, which is owned by the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw.

Work involves replacing the plant’s aging electrical substation, improving the power supply and upgrading the raw water pumps to prevent future electrical failures.

Once complete, this work will ensure the plant has a reliable and sustainable source of back-up power to minimize service interruptions and prevent drinking water advisories for the approximately 260,000 residents it serves, a news release stated.

“This is tremendous news for Moose Jaw residents and all Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant customers. The importance of a safe water supply can’t be over-stated, and we are grateful to the federal and provincial governments for their significant partnership stake in these crucial plant upgrades,” Mayor Frasier Tolmie stated in the news release.

In April this year Council was informed in an Executive Committee meeting about plans to apply for the funding under a Building Canada Fund (BCF) and how the project was regional in nature it scored high on terms of being accepted.

See Related: Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant Applies for Funding

The project is part of a plan to spend $180 billion over 12 years on infrastructure renewal. The Saskatchewan and Federal Governments are each contributing $10,291,000 to the project under the BCF's Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component - National and Regional Projects. The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation is providing the remaining funds.

Read: Investing in Reliable Access to High Quality Drinking Water in Southern Saskatchewan