Alberta to fund water infrastructure developments for rural communities

The Alberta government announced $131 million in funding for critical water projects in small cities and rural communities on Monday.

The government said the funding will help develop 22 new and seven existing water infrastructure projects across the province.

READ MORE: Federal government focuses on improving drinking water at Alberta First Nation

The minister of transportation and infrastructure emphasized the impacts improper wastewater treatment can have on the environment.

“This is about quality of life,” Brian Mason said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is about quality of life," Brian Mason said.

“You should be able to turn on the tap and enjoy quality drinking water, and you shouldn’t have to worry about wastewater polluting nearby lands and waterways, damaging land or impacting wildlife.”

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The 2017 budget reserved $474 million over four years for grant programs that support the delivery of clean water and wastewater treatment to all Albertans. The $131 million from the Water for Life and Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership grant programs will be delivered to a variety of municipal districts and counties around the province.

“Smaller municipalities and rural communities need our support in order to provide clean drinking water to the homes of local residents,” Mason said. “And it’s costly to provide proper wastewater treatment facilities so that our land and our water remain protected.”

READ MORE: Province makes $100M commitment for clean drinking water on First Nations

One of the largest projects on the roster is a $37-million wastewater line from Sylvan Lake to Red Deer, expected to be complete in 2020.

Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre said the new water line along Highway 11A will ensure wastewater isn’t entering the environment, and is being treated properly.

“For us, it’s a very vital piece of infrastructure,” he said. “And we need to make sure that we’re dealing with our wastewater efficiently and effectively, and that’s what this announcement means to us.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "For us, it's a very vital piece of infrastructure," he said. "And we need to make sure that we're dealing with our wastewater efficiently and effectively, and that's what this announcement means to us."

The government announced the 29 projects are expected to help sustain 900 jobs.

The Alberta Transportation clean water and wastewater treatment grants will partially fund the projects.