Residents in towns served by the Anthony Henday Water Treatment Plant will soon have a water supply that meets demand once the Mountain View Regional Water Services Commission puts its new line in operation this month.
According to commission board chair Rick Blair, Sept. 10 is the target date for the new twinned water line to start running from Innisfail to Olds.
“It's been a long time coming. It's been in the planning stages for many, many years and finally got it done,” said Blair said. “It's very good for our area, for all of us, for Olds and the other southern towns to have a guaranteed water source … for many years to come.”
The $42-million project will connect the Anthony Henday Water Treatment Plant, near Innisfail, to the Midpoint Reservoir, he said.
Towns served by the plant, which is owned by the commission, include Innisfail, Bowden, Olds, Didsbury, Carstairs and Crossfield.
Blair said that with the exception of Innisfail, which has its own line, all the towns will benefit once the project is up and running.
The new line, which took more than a year to construct, was built because towns served by the commission were using more water than what the existing line could provide, Blair said.
“On a warm day, in our area, we can't get enough water pushed down that line. So that's why we've been on water restrictions year after year so this is going to alleviate that for 50, 60 years to come. We'll have enough water come down this way,” he said.
To prepare for operation, the commission has been chlorinating and flushing the line to ensure the water is fit for consumption, according to Blair.
“At the same time, they're testing the pumps and everything else that was new in the line also,” he added.
The commission had wanted to have the new line in operation for early May but missing water pumps delayed startup.
