Central Alberta municipalities eager to see a regional sewer line from Olds to Red Deer are lobbying the province for more cash.
Originally pegged at $107 million in 2006, the price tag of the 92-km pipeline has climbed because of inflation, rising construction costs and other factors.
Dennis Cooper, chairman of the South Regional Wastewater Commission that is overseeing the ambitious project, said the province is footing 90 per cent of the bill — about $96 million — so it’s critical that further government financial support be lined up to ensure the sewage line is completed.
How much more the project will cost has yet to be determined.
A meeting with Transportation Minister Ray Danyluk, Environment Minister Diana McQueen, Red Deer South MLA Cal Dallas, and it is hoped other area MLAs, has been set for Monday in Edmonton.
Besides inflation, a number of other factors have driven up costs over the last five years, he said. A decision to buy rights-of-way from landowners to bury the pipeline rather than dig up county roads and inconvenience rural residents has boosted budgets.
The recent economic recovery has also contributed. “Things are starting to ramp up and the cost of doing business is more than what it was five years ago.”
Rising oil prices have also boosted the price of buying pipeline by as much as 35 per cent and there is still 50 km of pipeline to tender.
“All these things put pressure on our ability to do the project within the framework of $107 million. Basically, we can’t do that.”
Other challenges have involved finding emergency storage for wastewater, particularly in Olds, where an existing pipeline needs upgrading. There’s some question whether that upgrade would fall under the original funding.
The regional sewer line project was divided into three phases. A pipeline from Innisfail to Penhold line has been buried. Pipe has been going into the ground from Bowden to Innisfail and the rest of the route from Bowden to Olds is expected to be tendered this spring. It is hoped those phases will be done by the end of the year.
The final pieces of the project — a pipeline from Springbrook to Red Deer — likely won’t be built until 2013-14, although sewage will start flowing before that using an existing pipeline.
Cooper said there is some urgency to lining up a provincial commitment soon.
If that doesn’t happen before the spring election, valuable construction time could be lost.
Also, there has been talk the province may move away from its 90/10 cost-sharing program for water and sewer projects, which would mean municipalities could face a larger share of bills in the future.
“We want to make sure this project is planned to completion and all municipalities have a safe, efficient method of handling their sewage,” he said.
“The whole idea of the project was so we could keep the Red Deer River pristine.”
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com