The regional waterline is on track to hit its spring 2020 deadline.
Azam Khan, general manager of infrastructure services for the City of Cold Lake, noted the project is roughly 60 per cent complete.
Most of the work outside of the water treatment plant has been finished, and upgrades to the transfer station reservoir are also nearly complete. The pipeline still has one major hurdle to get over within the next couple of months.
“The biggest (portion) left is the Beaver River crossing, and the plan is to do it this winter because there’s some environmental restrictions on it to get it done in a certain time. It needs to be done between now and January,” explained Khan, adding everything is going according to plan so far.
“We still have six or seven months to complete it. The physical work, the pipeline, (has) the biggest work left by the Beaver River. That’s a key connection for water flow, when that’s done, I think it will be the biggest milestone in the pipeline.”
Khan anticipates water will be flowing through the line for testing and conditioning by June.
Although there were some delays last winter as a result of the freezing temperatures, the weather has cooperated so far.
“We haven’t seen any big impacts yet, but there will be some (work) that will flow from the previous year from when that work was suppose to be done between that time period, and our contractor will have done that right now or will be doing it,” Khan noted.
Work on the Cold Lake water treatment plant started in October 2018, while construction of the waterline was delayed until fall 2018 as crews waited for Alberta Environment’s approval.
Once finished, the pipeline will transfer water from the Cold Lake water treatment plant, through a transfer station near 4 Wing Cold Lake, along Hwy. 28, before heading to the Iron Horse Trail and straight to the Bonnyville pump house and reservoir.
Construction within city limits has almost wrapped up completely. Most of the roads affected have been paved, and others are slated to be done in the spring.
“The contractor committed to maintain it, and keep the impact low, but in general, the grievance period around Cold Lake is over,” Khan said.
The federal and provincial governments are funding a portion of the $83-million project through the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant, while the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund is pitching in $32.4-million.
Joining the Bonnyville Regional Waterline Services Commission table is Cold Lake First Nations.
The Town of Bonnyville was notified by the Government of Alberta that the first nations community was approved as a member earlier this month.
“They’ll be getting their water from us, so they’re entitled to either be a member… or a customer,” explained town CAO Mark Power during council’s regular meeting on Nov. 12. “But, they had to choose.”
According to Power, construction of the waterline includes the replacement of a pipe to Cold Lake First Nations that’s old and deteriorating.
“As part of the regional waterline to Bonnyville, they’re up sizing the connection to Cold Lake First Nations,” he continued. “They’ll be replacing the connections of the Cold Lake Regional Utility Commission with a connection from the Bonnyville Regional Waterline Services Commission. They’ll be getting the water out of a 24-inch line that we get our water from, so they’re no longer a Cold Lake customer, they’re a Bonnyville customer.”
In an email statement, Cold Lake First Nations Coun. Travis Matchatis said they’re “pleased to become recognized members of the Bonnyville Regional Waterline Services Commission.”
“Our nation has been working with the commission, as well as the Cold Lake Regional Utility Commission, for a number of years to realize the necessary improvements to our water infrastructure. Through the support of the Bonnyville and Cold Lake water commissions, the Province of Alberta, and Indigenous Services Canada, we’re advancing our efforts to provide our communities and members with a secure source of drinking water.”
