I will be checking my mailbox regularly this year as I am expecting a landslide of thank you cards from the residents of the Town of Elk Point and some from the Town of St. Paul. Like the other County of St. Paul Residents, my hard earned tax dollars will be going to help the Town of Elk Point secure a safe clean source of water from the Town of St. Paul.
The County of St. Paul has chosen to be a part of a regional water commission that will build a 23 km water pipeline from the Town of St. Paul to the Town of Elk Point. It is thought that the province will pay for 90 per cent of the project with the Town of Elk Point and the County of St. Paul covering the remaining 10 per cent. So some of my tax dollars will go to help build this pipeline. While it seems like a small percentage, it could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for the County.
Even though the water pipeline carrying excellent quality, clean, treated water will likely run right along my back yard, I will never be able to access it. Because the pipeline is not pressurized, a water reservoir and a commercial pump would have to be built to use the water. The costs would likely be in the area of $100,000, which would have to be paid by the water user. Even if I joined together with several of my neighbours, the cost is still out of reach for me. On top of the initial costs, I would still have to pay the Town of St. Paul for the water that I use.
The Town of St. Paul will benefit by selling more water at full price to the residents of Elk Point and will get numerous upgrades to their water treatment facility at the expense of the province.
As well as having my tax dollars go toward the project, I will also have the nice natural strip of land behind my house, once again, torn up. The proposed route for the water pipeline is right along the Iron Horse Trail, which runs behind my house. The trail is a beautiful little strip of natural land that runs through our community. It is a natural park area shared by walkers, bikers, and quad riders but not cars and trucks. The installation of this waterline is going to rip up natural areas along the trail for almost the entire distance from St. Paul to Elk Point.
Because I live in the county and not in town, I have to pay for my own water well and treatment, my own sewage system, and my own garbage pick up. The only service I get for my tax dollars is road maintenance. I did know that when I purchased my home and still chose to live there because I like living in the beauty of nature. However, I didn’t know that my tax dollars would go to making sure that the residents of the Town have treated water, nor did I know that the lovely little bit of nature near my home would be ripped up for the benefit of the two towns.
While my sacrifice is not being made willingly, I certainly hope those who will benefit appreciate it and at least send me a thank you card.
