A potable water reservoir is now online servicing the RM of Stanley.
The undergound concrete reservoir located at the Boundary Trails Health Centre, is a signifiant addition to the municipality's water infratructure. It has the capacity to hold 4 million litres.
This impressive project was a big endeavor for the RM of Stanley, said Reeve Ike Friesen. "It is. And we're very excited about it. There's not much to see, it's all underground, the big reservoirs. But there's been a lot of dollars, a lot of engineering going into it. We're just happy to be providing the people, and the residents, and their businesses with secure, good potable water."
Friesen says there's still some work left before the entire project is complete. One line still needs to come in and be connected. "It's going to happen once the ground thaws and then it will all be hooked up..And then there's some outside landscaping to be done, and then it will be completed."
The reservoir's location at BTHC also allows for the seamless integration of incoming water from two major water treatment plants; Morris and Letellier In emergencies, the site also allows for incoming water from the cities of Morden and Winkler, and Stephenfield.
One of the key features of this reservoir is its ability to enhance water movement during peak demand times or water breaks.
Joel Nelson, the Director of Health Services at BTHC. says the connection to the reservoir gives them an extra layer of protection for their water security.
"It has dedicated lines coming right into the hospital, so it allows us to have the confidence that we can avoid any kind of boil water advisories or things like that because they're able to kind of manage the water for our facility and protect our residents and staff from having to go through the boil water situation."
Nelson shared part of the construction at BTHC put them into a situation where they knew a boil water advisory was coming which involved a lot of planning, preparation, and bringing in extra water. "Making sure that staff had water, patients had appropriate clean water to drink. And now, with this project online, it's going to protect us from having to worry about that."
Partners involved in the project included WBS Construction, Water Services Board, Associated Engineering, Boundary Trails Health Centre, Pembina Valley Water Co-op, and RM of Stanley Council and staff.