With a growing community comes growing costs, and one task of a town council is to continually address how these costs will best be managed. On February 21, Niverville’s council addressed the issue of bringing town water to the properties in town that still operate with wells.
 

Importantly, they have agreed to appeal to the province for financial assistance to jumpstart the hook-up of these unserviced properties to the new water treatment plant.

As the water treatment plant gets run through the rigors of final testing, council says it’s time to nail down the cost to provide an opportunity for the balance of the community to get connected.

On the recommendation of CAO Eric King, council will move forward on a detailed design to incorporate water main lines and hydrants throughout the older developments in town.

At the same time, a request will be submitted to the Manitoba Water Services Board for a 50/50 cost share of this project which could begin as early as January 2024, with the province’s approval.

King says that the request will be for $3 million in provincial funding, matched by the town for a total of $6 million. According to King, the ask comes at the high end of what he believes the total cost could be.

“There are approximately 730 properties in Niverville that are not serviced by water,” King says. “This would provide about 700 of them the opportunity to [hook up] should they choose.”

Mayor Myron Dyck says that it’s premature to talk about what costs will look like for residents to hook up to the main lines. He anticipates, though, that residents can expect options in terms of keeping their well functional for outdoor use even if they connect to the treatment plant for household water.