Two local towns are getting an infrastructure boost thanks to government funding.
The investment of over $51 million from the federal and provincial governments will help 34 communities across Saskatchewan.
Among those communities is Naicam, which is receiving over $2.17 million from the feds and the province to upgrade its sanitary sewer system.
The town is chipping in nearly $789,000.
Mayor Rodger Hayward said the funding is great news, as they’ve been waiting to undertake the project.
“We’re very happy that we were accepted into the infrastructure grant program,” Hayward told northeastNOW, adding that the project in Naicam is extensive.
“We have two lift stations so we’re going to be rebuilding and replacing both of those, and re-lining the main sewer line between the two, and also re-lining the sewer line out to the lagoon,” he added.
Projects of this magnitude cost a lot of money and Hayward said it’s virtually impossible to come up with that kind of investment locally. He added programs like this are crucial to any community looking to repair or replace infrastructure.
“Without the infrastructure funding from the two levels of government it just wouldn’t have happened,” explained Hayward. “It’s always a struggle to even come up with our share but we’re able to do that so we’ll make the project happen.”
Naicam faces an infrastructure deficit like every other community in Canada, and Hayward said it’s nice to be able to chip away at one project on the to-do list.
The town of Rose Valley is receiving government funding of more than $755,000 for wastewater and water line infrastructure replacement while the town is providing nearly $275,000.
Administrator Marjorie Zarowny told northeastNOW that funding large infrastructure projects is a challenge, and getting provincial and federal funding is often the difference between being able to do the project and putting it off.
She said the replacement of their sewer force main, which was installed in the 1960s, is crucial.
“It has reached the end of its lifespan according to all engineering evaluations, so it’s definitely a project we want to have done before it fails,” explained Zarowny.
The main runs from the lift station to the lagoon and if it were to fail the town would have to move to an emergency bypass which could include hydro-vac trucks to keep up with sewage. Zarowny said the consequences of a sewer force main failure would be drastic.
The town replaced their reservoir system and water treatment system about 15 years ago and received federal and provincial funding for those projects as well. Zarowny said their goal for the sewer force main replacement is to be proactive to ensure it’s fixed before it fails.
Construction on that project is expected to begin in 2025.
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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com
On X: @northeastNOW_SK
