The County of St. Paul voted to join the St. Paul/Elk Point water commission after hearing a report presented by Mohammed Elenany and Matthew Brassard, engineers from Urban Systems, concerning the cost to County residents wanting to tap into the line.
Urban Systems estimates the cost would be between $20,000 to $30,000 per home to access town water from the pipeline, but could vary depending on the type of system, the distance to the pipeline and other factors.
Division 2 Coun. Cliff Martin had previously expressed reservations about the project because he wanted to know how much it would cost for ratepayers to tap into the line. After hearing the presentation by Urban Systems he said it might be feasible for some County residents to join together, form a water cooperative and access the water. As a result, he voted to join the commission.
“If we don’t join now, we will have no access to the water in the future,” said Martin in a phone interview after the council meeting. “If we join now we will be able to access up to 20 per cent of the water in that line in the future. So this is gambling on the future.”
He said if a developer wanted to build a subdivision just outside of the Town of St. Paul, they could tap into the water line as long as the County joined the water commission now. Currently, the areas around the Town of St. Paul have no access to town water.
Reeve Steve Upham also expressed reservations about joining the water commission in the past but voted in favour after last Tuesday’s presentation.
“The project is going ahead with or without us,” said Upham, explaining the Town of Elk Point is in need of the water and is proceeding with the plan to build the water line. “This way we will be entitled to 20 per cent of the water.”
Upham said 20 per cent should be enough water to support any developments, which might occur in the area.
The estimated cost of the water supply line from St. Paul to Elk Point is $7.3 million, according to CAO Sheila Kitz. The provincial Water for Life grant would cover 90 per cent of the cost. The province has approved the funding for the project, said Upham.
The remaining 10 per cent of the cost would be picked up by the water commission, which is composed of the Town of Elk Point and the County of St. Paul. The current business plan indicates the County would purchase 20 per cent of the capacity of the water line and therefore will be responsible for 20 per cent of the cost. This would be a debenture payment of approximately $10,000 per year for 25 years, said Kitz.
Council plans to review the business plan on July 20. The amount the County will contribute toward administration and ongoing maintenance of the line will be discussed. However, Kitz said these fees might be based on consumption. If no county residents use the line there would be no additional cost.
