ACP grant application for Highway 3 potable water study

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Sunny South News

By Nikki Jamieson
Sunny South News

Coaldale will be taking the lead for a regional potable water grant application.

During their regular Sept. 25 meeting, Coaldale town council discussed a resolution to establish Coaldale as the managing partner for a $200,000 funding application under the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program.

The grant would be for the Regional Water Concept Development Study project.

“This study will examine regional potable water solutions along the Highway 3 corridor,” said Jonathan Wensveen, manager of government relations for the Town. “This project is taking place in collaboration with the counties and municipalities situated along the Highway 3 Corridor, led by Taber-Warner MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Agrifood Development, Grant Hunter.”

Wensveen said that they had received a letter of support from Premier Danielle Smith, that was signed by four other MLAs, including Hunter, Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf, Cardston-Siksika MLA Joseph Schow and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright.

No matching contributions are required.

Mayor Jack Van Rijn noted that the town will be receiving letters of support from the participating municipalities – Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Taber, Bow Island, Barnwell, Lethbridge County, Municipal District of Taber, County of Forty Mile; and Cypress County – for this initiative.

The project arises from the provincial Highway 3 Potable Water/Wastewater Technical Working Group, which has the mandate of overseeing a high-level servicing analysis of potable water and wastewater infrastructure along the Highway 3 Corridor running between Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. The province wants to develop this area into a global hub for agri-food processing facilities. Hunter has been tasked by the premier to work on this.

The Regional Water Concept Development Study project is one of two projects from this initiative that will be applying for an ACP grant. The other grant application will be focused on wastewater and is being managed by Taber.

Council passed a motion to support the submission of a 2023/24 Alberta Community Partnership grant application in support of the Regional Water Concept Development Study project and direct Administration to manage the grant project and related compliance requirements, for which no matching contribution is required.