Grant allows for Hinton water plant upgrades

Hinton homeowners will be happy to know that there will only be a $5 monthly increase to their utility bill instead of the 10 per cent jump they might have seen if it wasn’t for the Canada-Alberta Building Canada Fund, Communities Component.

The town will receive a $6-million grant to jumpstart much-needed upgrades to its water treatment plant.

The upgrades, which include new filtering technology, are needed after the federal government changed the standards and expectations for water purity. 

Glenn Taylor, the Town of Hinton Mayor, said it was a “huge relief” to receive the funding, especially so quickly, as without the funding there would have been a “10 per cent tax increase on the water service if we didn’t have assistance from the feds and the province in order to do this project in the timelines we had to meet the regulations.”

In a similar situation as the renovations for the Jasper Activity and Aquatic Centre, the water plant upgrades were pushed back last year under the Canada-Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, but because the project is considered “shovel ready” the project was perfect for the latest funding. Taylor hopes construction will begin in the spring with the project completed by the end of the year.

Taylor said he was extremely pleased with the announcement of this funding as well as the prospect of more funding coming Hinton’s way as millions of dollars slowly trickle down to local municipalities. But he also suggested that there were issues that need to be addressed. 

“A part of the challenge is the one-third component necessary from communities to bring to the table,” he said. “Not too many communities in Alberta have an extra couple million lying around that they can just tap into. The challenge is going to be the municipal matching portion for us as well as everybody else.”

For example, the water treatment project is still expected to cost the Town of Hinton over $3 million, but this will be collected through the $5-a-month utility bill increase. 

But, if more money becomes available, Hinton will be ready. The town has already developed a 20-year capital plan that highlights what major repairs or replacements are needed on any town infrastructure, including when they can expect to pay what and how much they believe it will cost. 

“What we’re doing now,” Taylor said, “is looking at our long term capital plan to see what can be moved up in the queue based on these new realities.”