The Hamlet of La Glace could soon see upgrades made to its local water treatment station to distribute clean water to more facilities and homes. The concept under review looks at the efforts that would be required to see potable water distributed to the entire community.
The County of Grande Prairie received a grant of $750,000 from the province as part of a cost-share request to establish the upgrades. During the county council meeting, Monday, four options were brought forward suggesting potential options for routes to construct water pipes.
A currently established well in the community connects to a shallow aquifer that is unable to supply water to the entire community. A separate aquifer to the south, located near the recently decommissioned fire station, is reportedly big enough to supply the entire municipality with clean water, but additional treatment infrastructure would be needed due to high fluoride and methane levels in the aquifer.
Three of the four options presented recommend running the new water pipes along Highway 724, connecting a water treatment facility at the old fire hall to existing water distribution systems, as well as extending out to the remainder of the community. The fourth proposal would see the water line connect similarly, though running along 99 Street instead.
County Reeve Leanne Beaupre says though some homes in the community are getting water from the existing water treatment plant, many are still reliant on private wells.
“Within the community [those people] are having issues with water quality and safety and the amount of water that they have access to,” she says.
She adds council’s current concerns surround what is necessary for the community and how much should be spent on the project based on those needs.
“We want to make sure we have community support. Although we did receive money from the provincial government, it is a cost-share amount and that was only for a portion of the actual project,” she explains. “We want to make sure those who could potentially receive the service understand that there is a potential to a cost associated with it to them. We want to make sure we’ve done our due diligence and everyone is aware of what’s happening.”
Because the project to upgrade the water treatment facility is a cost-share initiative, the county would provide the remaining $250,000 to the budget. Upgrades to the facility do not include the costs which would be required to establish pipes to distribute clean water throughout the community.