The water will soon be flowing to many of the farms in Kneehill County. Construction is nearly complete on the final phase of the big water project.
Phase four of the rural water service project began last July. It was originally hoped to be complete as of October last year, but had to be carried over to this summer.
The project is finishing the final touches in the Sunnyslope/Torrington area. The major line connecting Linden and Torrington was finished this past weekend. All that is left to be done is to install a couple more pieces and test the line. In all, roughly 190 kilometres of pipe has been constructed.
“We have a couple of pressure reducing valves to go in. After that, there is testing. I know there are people near these valves who really want the water, so we’re trying to get the contractor to finish as fast as possible,” said Kevin Miner, CAO of Kneehill County.
The project has had a long history from conception to completion. Development on the project began in 1998, with the first phase being completed in 2005.
The goal of the project was to bring water to as many rural residents and municipalities as possible.
“Off of that [the Linden/Torrington], there are a huge number of lines, so farms can have good drinking water. There are two things you have to have to keep people in rural Alberta; good water and internet. If those aren’t at home, it’s a lot more difficult to attract and retain people. The project will help with the long term sustainability of Kneehill County,” said Miner.
Previous phases of the project were centred around Kirkpatrick, another around Carbon, and the third phase was around Acme.
Kneehill County took over management of the project after the county was awarded the tender for administration of the Kneehill Regional Water Services Commission in 2010.
Funding for the project came from the Building Canada Grant, Alberta Wastewater Grant, Municipal Sustainability Initiative, short term borrowing, and taxes. Residents who hooked up to the line had to pay $6,000, plus interest, over 15 years.
There are no immediate plans to go further with the project.
“This is it for now, unless people ask us to come into their area. Last year, we came into the Churchill area and surveyed them. They were against the line,” said Miner.
