“Good stuff!” … “Fantastic.”
The verdicts on water from Barrhead’s newly upgraded treatment plant were crystal clear at an opening ceremony last Thursday.
First it was the turn of Haj Oshiki and Pat Blais – two managers at the forefront of the $12.9 upgrade – to raise glasses, tip back their heads and drink.
Then Alberta Transportation’s Michael Botros and Barrhead Regional Water Commission directors Doug Drozd, Gerry St. Pierre, Bill Lane, Albert Mast and Don Smith did likewise.
“Fantastic water,” beamed commission chairman Drozd, holding up an empty glass.
As the proof of a water plant is in the drinking, the initial responses were met with smiles and enthusiastic applause. Perhaps there were even a few sighs of relief that the state-of-the-art membrane filtration system was working.
Last week’s official opening marked the end of a challenging 21-month construction project funded by the Government of Alberta Water for Life Program and the Barrhead Regional Water Commission.
Many representatives of the Town and County were present. Also there was project manager John Van Doesburg.
At the outset, Drozd gave an overview of the project, tracing its history to 2006 when Town and County met to discuss future water needs of the area. It led to the construction of a transmission line between Barrhead and Neerlandia.
In 2012, work began on the upgrade to Barrhead’s water treatment plant after the formation of the Barrhead Water Services Commission.
Drozd, also deputy reeve, said Barrhead and the hamlets of Manola and Neerlandia could now boast water as good as anywhere else, giving the area a competitive edge.
He added there was a saying “whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting.”
Although the water project threw up many challenges, there was never any in-fighting, said Drozd.
Drozd held out the prospect that communities in Campsie, Thunder Lake and beyond would one day also benefit from the high quality water.
Botros, regional director of Alberta Transportation, said the project underlined government’s commitment to invest in families and communities.
Pointing out government had covered about 75 per cent of the costs, he said the plant would benefit residents for many years.
“Water is fundamental to every day life,” he said. “Access to clean safe drinking water will clearly enhance all residents’ quality of life and support public health.”
Barrhead Mayor St. Pierre, standing in for his predecessor Brian Schulz, said it seemed like only yesterday he presided over the opening of a new Barrhead new water treatment plant supposed to serve the area for 30 years. That was 13 or 14 years ago.
Rising provincial standards, he said, had brought about the latest upgrade. St. Pierre paid special tribute to Public Works staff for their involvement in the project.
“For those people who complain about water rates going up, think of the big picture. You are getting water that you can drink that is safe for mere pennies,” he said.
Oshiki, project manager for DCL Siemens Engineering, said the company was proud to be part of the upgrade.
“The water treatment plant uses state-of-the-art membrane filtration technology to produce drinking water that was designed to meet the standards of today and the future,” he said.
Oshiki thanked everyone involved in the project, including the water commission for providing strong direction.
Blais, construction manager for Westpro Infrastructure Ltd., said the project had thrown up many challenges.
One of them, he said, was that the company was dealing with a “live” water plant that had to remain in operation. This included installing a temporary water supply line to MacGill estates. Blais added the project had also been affected by storms in the States from where plant units were coming. He ended by presenting to the commission a plaque commemorating the project.
