Renewing Drinking Water & Wastewater Infrastructure for a Growing City
The City of Saskatoon and communities across Canada are celebrating Water Week, March 20-26, 2017; it’s an opportunity for the City to highlight the vital role water plays in our daily lives and how it contributes to the overall quality of life we enjoy.
“Modern, efficient water and wastewater infrastructure is essential to safeguarding the well-being of Canadian families and building the Canada we want for tomorrow,” said the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. “We are very pleased to have provided funding so that Saskatoon can address their specific infrastructure priorities, while helping grow the middle class with good, well-paying jobs."
This year, the Government of Canada invested an additional $15.8 million in funding through its Clean Water Wastewater Fund, while the Government of Saskatchewan invested $7.9 million.
“The Government of Saskatchewan’s $7.9 million investment will contribute to improving Saskatoon’s water infrastructure and help keep our province strong,” the Honourable Donna Harpauer, Minister of Government Relations, said. “We are pleased to be working with our federal and municipal partners to make services better for the citizens we serve.”
The City is investing $43.3 million to replace aging water mains, sewer mains and lead service lines. All this funding approximately quadruples the annual budget for underground pipe renewal.
“Saskatoon is fortunate to have some of the best quality drinking water in Canada,” says Reid Corbett, Director of Saskatoon Water. “We can attribute this to the high regulatory standards we meet, our professional and highly-skilled staff, and our commitment to investing in state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure to serve a growing city and region.”
Lined up end-to-end, the underground pipes (not including service connections) that make up Saskatoon’s water distribution, sanitary sewer collection and storm water collection systems total 2,843 kilometres; that’s roughly the same distance as driving from City Hall to Toronto around the Great Lakes. The 2017 work includes the replacement of approximately 900 lead water service pipes, rehabilitation of approximately 15 kilometres of water mains, and re-lining approximately 22 kilometres of sanitary sewer mains.
In the Government of Canada’s Budget 2016, the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund was introduced to accelerate short-term municipal investments for the renewal of water and wastewater infrastructure to meet immediate priorities for clean water and healthier environments for communities.
Join the Water Week Facebook LiveChat! On Friday, March 24, everyone is invited to follow Saskatoon City News on Facebook and join our Why Infrastructure Renewal Matters Facebook LiveChat from 12:00 -12:30 pm. You can add your questions to the post now to make sure they get answered.
Learn more about Saskatoon’s water and sewer infrastructure at saskatoon.ca/waterweek and take a video tour of the City’s Waste Water Treatment Plant and Water Treatment Plant.