Securing money for water projects

Times Contributor  

 

Wheatland County is participating in a study to deal with storm water runoff. With guidance from Water Smart and help by its participating partners, a study will be done on the routes storm water takes. The $160,000 study will show pressure points and overflow areas. The group is moving forward to draw up a memorandum of agreement for all partners. In total, each partner will contribute $27,000 to the study. A government grant for reimbursement may or may not be possible.

Councillors went on to discuss government funding cutbacks to various water-related projects and wondered if the Wheatland Regional Water Partnership project would be affected. It was thought that existing projects would be covered but no new projects would be funded. Councillors last spoke to the Minister about the project in December 2012 and approval had been given to move forward with the plan.

“We need to contact the Minister and find out,” said Councillor Ken Sauve. “We have exhausted every effort to solve this problem and outside of a bucket of water, we are at the end of our rope.”

Councillors indicated that the province had pushed making regional partnership plans and the County complied by forming the Wheatland Regional Water Partnership. If funding wasn’t available or sufficient, it was feared that the province would push them back into discussions under the Calgary Regional Partnership.

Councillor Alice Booth suggested that Federal Infrastructure funding should be investigated.

“There is new money available. Don’t put all our eggs in the Alberta basket. They want communities to ask for the money,” said Booth.

Wheatland County Infrastructure Manager Dave Churchill said that federal grants were typically given to projects that were ready for construction.

Council agreed that letters would be sent to the Minister of Infrastructure, the Environment Minister, and Wheatland’s MP and MLA. They voiced securing water resources for county residents was a fiscal responsibility and an imminent issue due to licensing renewals coming due. 

“We should include that we have had boil water advisories in the past and the water issues were critical four years ago,” said Councillor Ken Sauve.

They also directed staff to gather information about federal funding possibilities.