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Water treatment plant upgrades nearly complete

Upgrades to a municipal water system that has served two communities following the devastating effects of the 2013 flood are almost complete.
The water treatment plant has undergone numerous updates following the devastation of the 2013 flood in southern Alberta.
The water treatment plant has undergone numerous updates following the devastation of the 2013 flood in southern Alberta.

Upgrades to a municipal water system that has served two communities following the devastating effects of the 2013 flood are almost complete.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the near completion of upgrades made to the water treatment plant in Turner Valley on Nov. 24.

The upgrades began after the flood washed away Black Diamond’s water treatment plant and all but one of Turner Valley’s water wells.

“The capacity of the facility wasn’t enough to take on more than one municipality,” said Barry Williamson, Turner Valley chief administrative officer.

Town representatives and government dignitaries were present, including MP John Barlow and Kevin Taron, Manager of Municipal Recovery with the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

Changes over the last two years include expanding the building and adding a filtered train, onsite chlorination process, ultraviolet disinfectant system, granulated carbon filter system, pipeline to Black Diamond’s raw water reservoir and replacing gas cylinders with a liquid chlorination system.

The approximate $24 million price tag for the upgrades were covered by the Province’s Disaster Relief Program funding, said Williamson.

With the facility only at about 75 per cent capacity to keep up with water needs, crews are exploring water sources upstream and expect to have studies complete in the first part of 2016 to determine viable sources, he said.

Williamson said this will require additional funding.

“We have to go further up the river to find more wells and a water infiltration gallery,” he said. “You have to find a way to get that transported back to our facility. ”

Another change is the potential to tie the Millarville area into the water system, said Williamson.

He said the MD of Foothills received approval for the Building Canada Fund Grant to do so and the options are currently under investigation.

Work has been ongoing to create a corporation to operate the water treatment plant, which is currently operated as the Quad Regional Water Partnership, a regional collaboration between Black Diamond, Turner Valley, Longview and MD of Foothills.

The partnership has the capacity to supply water to the municipalities for 25 years.

“The plan is to have the corporation officially up and running on Jan. 1,” said Williamson. “We will transfer the management from the towns and MD to the corporation.”

Williamson said users of the system won’t notice any changes with the Sheep River Regional Utility Corporation from an operating point of view.

“Turner Valley will continue the operation while they get fully organized how they are going to hire and house people and manage the wholesale cost of water,” he said. “We will manage it in the interim. It will be either mid-2016 or 2017 before becoming an official designated party.”

In 2014, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) approved the water treatment plant and supply upgrades.

The new corporation will decide on the management and operational structures and opportunities that best suit the needs of the regional communities, including provision of water supply.

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