The population has been steadily rising in southeast Manitoba, and the tide of new residents has been putting pressure on Ritchot’s regional water supply.
Earlier this month, the provincial government announced $2.5 million in upgrades for water infrastructure in Île-des-Chênes, St. Adolphe, and Ste. Agathe. These funds come from the Manitoba Water Services Board’s recent five-year plan to invest $33.65 million in water and wastewater infrastructure. The municipality will contribute matching funds to the project, bringing the total investment to $5 million.
With this money in place, the municipality has its own five-year plan to make four key upgrades.
1. The upgrades include a one-million-litre increase to the storage capacity of Ritchot’s water treatment plant.
2. Because the water pipeline between Ste. Agathe and St. Adolphe has limited capacity, a second pipeline will be installed.
3. An extra pipeline will also be built between St. Adolphe and Grande Pointe.
4. Currently, 36 litres of raw water can be transferred from the well site per second. This capacity will be increased to 50 litres per second.
Although these are the four main projects to be tackled with the $5 million, the RM of Ritchot has identified a fifth project that needs attention in the coming years. Council has requested $3 million from the Water Services Board for the purpose of expanding the Ste. Agathe lagoon. There has not yet been any word on this request.
Finally, the provincial government has granted an additional $21,000 from the Small Communities Fund for the installation of a new condenser and dehumidifier at the St. Adolphe Arena. This represents one-third of the project’s cost, with the other two-thirds being provided by the municipality and the federal government.
Dawson Trail MLA Bob Lagassé and Provencher MP Ted Falk were on-hand to make these announcement alongside Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen on Wednesday, August 16.
“Our Progressive Conservative government continues to make important investments in local infrastructure that ensures Manitobans have access to modern and reliable water and wastewater services,” said Lagassé. “Projects like these are important to our communities. As well, with the Small Communities Fund, we are supporting priority, local projects across Manitoba with investments in infrastructure that facilitates growth, improves the quality of life and boosts regional development.”
The Small Communities Fund, run jointly by the provincial and federal governments, prioritizes communities across Canada with populations below 100,000. Forty-two projects in 37 communities have been identified in Manitoba. The fund specifically targets projects that improve drinking water, wastewater management, culture, tourism, recreation, and public transit.
“This is great news for our water supply projects in Ritchot. With the growth in our municipality, for the MLA and provincial government to recognize the demand for improvements, we have great appreciation for that,” said Ewen. “The volunteers and community of St. Adolphe are also thankful and excited about the funding for the arena. This support from the Manitoba and federal governments goes a long way toward necessary improvements to maintain our popular facility.”
