Sundre's new $6.6 million water treatment plant on Snake Hill will provide the community with a safe supply of drinking water for decades to come, a grand opening ceremony heard last week.
During an official ribbon cutting at the plant on Wednesday, Mayor Annette Clews commended the efforts of “many companies, organizations, governments and citizens that has resulted in us having a very safe and secure source of water for many years to come.”
Sundre's first water treatment plant uses a rapid gravity sand and coal filter system where raw water from wells is treated before being put into the distribution system. It has a 700,000-gallon reservoir directly underneath the plant building.
The plant has some of the most modern technology of any such plant in the province, including an ultra violet reactor to kill viruses, an onsite chlorine generator, and state-of-the-art backup generator.
The $6.6 million cost is being shared by the province (57 per cent) and Sundre taxpayers.
Representatives from the various companies involved in the project and other dignitaries were also in attendance for the grand opening.
Town of Sundre Director of Operations Ron Baker says the plant is a “showpiece” of modern technology.
“We were a little taken aback when we had to do this (construct the plant). Ask anybody in town, we have the best water in the world. But I sleep a lot better knowing this plant is here. It's awesome.”
During a guided tour of the facility, Baker explained that the monitoring of the plant can be done remotely from anywhere in the province.
Sundre MLA Ty Lund said the new plant is a great step forward in terms of safety.
“When Sundre first came into the constituency I was somewhat concerned about the risk of taking water directly out of the ground,” said Lund. “Even though it seemed pure, there are times when things can happen and you hear about incidents around the country where water is a major cause of some kind of catastrophe.”
Nancy Southern, with ATCO Group, said the plant will provided an “additional quality of life to the town of Sundre.”
“I believe it is partnerships like this that will be able to allow Alberta to grow, not just the town of Sundre, but I believe what you've done is set a great example of what can be accomplished,” she said.
The former reservoir near the site of the new plant has been converted into a raw water holder, giving the town two days of backup water supply if necessary.
The town currently uses about 1,600 cubic meters of water every day, said Baker.
