Construction for the Foothills Okotoks Regional Water Project is set to start with a Groundbreaking Ceremony on Monday (Oct. 21).
The ceremony is to celebrate the start of the significant regional initiative to help bring more water to the ever-growing populations of Okotoks and Foothills County.
Following its completion (estimated for 2026), raw water from the Bow River will be pumped into water treatment facilities in both Okotoks and Foothills County. The water will be pumped from the confluence of the Bow and Highwood rivers.
The project will provide safe and secure drinking water to the region and help support the growing water needs of new residential growth and business development in the area.
The project status is as follows:
- The water system will include a water main, raw water reservoir, pump station, and intake.
- The Partners have purchased land for the intake. The Town purchased a site for an above-ground raw water reservoir and pump station.
- Preliminary design work is complete.
- Procurement has begun with intake construction awarded and procurement closed for one section of pipeline.
- The Town of Okotoks and Foothills County received $30M in provincial Water for Life Grant funding towards the Foothills Okotoks Regional Water Project.
- One hundred percent financed through grants, developer contributions, and off-site levies, which are charged to developers to pay for infrastructure required to support growth.
The Groundbreaking Ceremony is set to take place on Monday afternoon and will include remarks from Foothills County Reeve Delilah Miller and Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn before shovels hit the ground.