(file photo/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By meadowlakeNOW Staff

Infrastructure Investment

Federal funding will help Meadow Lake replace aging infrastructure, better protect from flooding

Mar 11, 2019 | 2:00 PM

An investment from Ottawa for Meadow Lake will help build the city’s resilience to flooding and better protect public health and waterways.

The federal government has announced $8 million for the city to replace all of its common trench sewer and water pipes and relocate its existing lagoon outside of city limits.

For those on Meadow Lake’s east side, flooding is a growing and serious issue. During the spring thaw, large volumes of storm water put pressure on the 50-year-old pipes. This creates a high risk for ruptures and runs the risk of leaking contaminated water into the drinking water system, as sewer pipes run alongside drinking water mains.

Moving the lagoon will help protect Backwater Creek – which sits behind the lagoon and links to Meadow Lake – from the risk of overflowing and leaking raw sewage during heavy flooding. The move also helps keep Meadow Lake clean, which is the raw water source for the local water treatment plant.

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“This project is an opportunity for us to make a significant investment in the future resiliency of our community,” Mayor Gary Vidal said. “It allows us to modernize some of our oldest infrastructure and reduce the potential damage from flooding events.”

Once complete, the project will increase the communities resilience to flooding and better protect up to 5,300 people. It will further reduce the number of people who go without essential services during incidents and cut long-term economic recovery costs.

“This work will help keep people’s drinking water clean, make sure they have uninterrupted access to essential services, and greatly reduce the costs of flood recovery,” Rural Economic Development Minister Bernadette Jordan said.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr