The process is flowing forward for a regional water treatment project being considered by the Town of Stonewall and RM of Woodlands.
Both municipalities will be holding special meeting of council to consider first reading of a general borrowing bylaw to build a reverse osmosis water treatment plant. The project also includes new water supply reservoirs in Stonewall and Warren, new supply wells and a water supply pipeline from Stonewall to Warren.
The new water treatment plant would be built at the same location as the current one on 5th Street West. The new Warren reservoir would be located on a vacant lot at the southeast corner of the intersection of MacDonald Avenue and Collegiate Drive.
The Town of Stonewall’s special meeting is set for Monday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Arts Centre (166 Main St.).
The RM of Woodlands’ special meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Warren Memorial Hall (145 MacDonald Ave.).
The total estimated cost of the project is $33,310,000. Infrastructure Canada improvement program funding would cover $21,083,676 and Manitoba Water Services Board would cover $2,279,113.
If the project proceeds, the Town of Stonewall would contribute $5,408,843, with $2,408,843 coming from reserves and utility surplus and the remaining $3 million from borrowing. The RM of Woodlands would contribute $4,538,367, with $1,260,150 coming from reserves and utility surplus and the remaining $3.3 million from borrowing.
At the March 3 meeting, Stonewall council will consider borrowing $3 million for the project to be repaid over 20 years at a maximum interest rate of 6.25 per cent per year.
The annual repayment amount won’t be more than $270,000 to be levied on water rates of the town’s utility as a debenture surcharge estimated to be 61 cents per cubic metre.
At the March 4 meeting, Woodlands council will consider the proposal to borrow $3.3 million to be repaid over 25 years at a maximum interest rate of 6.25 per cent per year.
The annual repayment won’t be more than $270,000, which would be levied on the water rates of the Warren utility as a debenture surcharge estimated at $4.22 per cubic metre.
Stonewall CAO Wally Melnyk explained that each partner — the RM of Woodlands and the Town of Stonewall — is responsible for its own capital costs and repayment.
“The town and RM have both agreed to use a charge on the water bill as the means of generating the funds needed to cover the debenture payment that will be triggered by the capital costs of the project,” he said.
“The difference in the charge, however, is based on the total volume of water sold by the two municipalities. The town sells a greater volume of water and thus has a greater number of cubic metres to spread the cost of the debenture.”
Both communities held open house events to provide information about the project, which is designed to meet projected water demands up to the year 2045.
Currently, the Town of Stonewall operates a public water system with three operating groundwater supply wells and a water treatment plant that was built in 2006. The water treatment plant uses a chlorination system for raw water, and it has a 392-square-metre in-ground concrete storage reservoir with two cells and a distribution pumping system.
However, the existing reservoir is not big enough and it doesn’t provide enough water storage for fire fighting. It also won’t be able to meet the future water needs of the town.
Located on the water treatment plant property, the existing wells were built in the 1970s and 1980s and they draw water from the carbonate aquifer. They also need improvements and they’re not able to meet future water demands.
In Warren, the community is currently served by a reservoir and pump house built in 1992 that only uses chlorination for treatment. Raw water comes from a single groundwater well that’s located 12 metres west of the pump house. The 103-square-metre storage capacity is not enough to provide fire protection or to meet the community’s needs for future water storage.
The proposed new water treatment plant would include three new wells and would use a reverse osmosis treatment process. Caustic soda would be used for pH adjustment and stabilization. Ultraviolet light would be used for primary disinfection, followed by chlorine for secondary disinfection. Reverse osmosis reduces dissolved components, improves taste and softens the water.
More details about the proposed water treatment project will be provided at the upcoming public meetings in each municipality. If approved, construction could begin in May 2025 with estimated project completion in December 2026.
More information is available on the RM of Woodlands website at www.rmwoodlands.ca and the Town of Stonewall website at www.stonewall.ca.
