Warman City Council voted unanimously at a meeting on Monday, June 21 to increase the capacity of a projected pipeline from the city’s storm water reservoirs to the South Saskatchewan River.
Heavy rainfall events such as summer storms can result in storm water retention ponds filling up quickly. Currently, it can take up to two weeks for the excess water in these ponds to be pumped out.
The larger-diameter pipeline will not only enable the city to pump out more water from existing reservoirs faster (from two weeks down to a few days), it will also provide additional capacity to handle runoff from new neighbourhoods projected to be built in the future.
But the benefits come with a higher price tag.
Increasing the size of the line from the original plan of 750 mm to 1200 mm diameter pipe will cost the city an additional $2.5 million.
The funds will come from the city’s existing reserves, and eventually be covered by off-site levies from new developments as the city grows.
While the initial investment will be higher, there are savings over the long term.
A report from the city administration tabled at the June 21 council meeting estimates that installing a larger-diameter pipeline, or twinning the pipeline, in the future could cost at least $8 million.
The new pipeline will replace the current system of surface drainage along an open ditch that runs alongside the CN rail line eastward to the river.
While the projected storm water pipeline will bypass the city’s sewage lagoon, there will be a connection from the lagoon to the pipeline to allow discharge of the treated effluent. The treated effluent connection will allow the city to transition to continuous discharge from the lagoon. Currently, the release of treated effluent occurs biannually in the spring and fall.
The city is slated to put the storm water pipeline project out to tender this month.
The $18.1 million lagoon upgrade and expansion project is expected to take two years to complete. It will increase the city’s wastewater treatment capacity to accommodate future growth and improve the overall effluent discharge quality to meet Environment Canada regulations.
The lagoon expansion is being partially funded through a joint federal-provincial infrastructure program. Funding from the federal government totals $7.24 million, with $6,032,730 coming from provincial contributions. The municipality will contribute $4,827,270. In June, 2020, the provincial government provided the city with an additional $1.6 million in the form of a MEEP grant that is being used to further offset the municipal share of the overall cost; in effect reducing the city’s share to $3.2 million.
In addition to the storm water and effluent discharge pipeline to the river, the project includes increasing the depth of the existing primary and secondary lagoon cells, installing an aeration system in the primary and secondary cells, and constructing a blower building for the aeration system