$222M provided for Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant project

The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant is going to receive a major facelift.

The facility located roughly an hour west of Regina is receiving $222.83 million in upgrades in what is being called a rejuvenation project.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $89.13 million, the Government of Saskatchewan is providing around $74.26 million and the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation — which is owned by the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw — is contributing more than $59.42 million and is responsible for any additional costs.

More than 260,000 people in Regina, Moose Jaw and many other communities in the area benefit from the water provided by the plant.

Upgrades to the main treatment plant pump stations and reservoirs are just some of the many changes the facility will undergo.

“There will be a lot of renovation where we will be gutting existing areas of the plant and processing equipment and replacing it with newer technology,” said Ryan Johnson, the president and CEO of the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation.

“Right now, the way the plant is set up is limited in what it can do, where the new plant will give a lot more options so we can treat water better and more efficiently and more effectively.”

The facility was first commissioned in 1955 and the new upgrades are expected to help the plant operate more efficiently for at least 30 years.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters says aside from providing safe clean drinking water to the public, the upgrades to the facility will benefit agricultural businesses that are going to be establishing themselves in the Regina area.

“Today’s investment will assist in serving our population and economic growth over the next several decades — and Regina is growing,” Masters said. “In the past two months, the Regina region has seen a significant influx of investment specifically in the agricultural and food sector, and water is extremely important to support this type of investment.

“Safe, clean, drinking water — there are few city priorities more essential than this.”

Construction is to kick off in 2022, with a goal of completing the project by 2025.