A new water treatment facility at a First Nations community in Richmond Co. is nearly finished after almost a year of construction.
The manager of process engineering for CBCL, the design firm for the new plant in Potlotek, says they’re getting into the commissioning phase, which is finishing construction and testing the plant’s equipment, the last step before the plant becomes operational.
Mike Chaulk tells The Hawk the project has run a little longer than expected.
“The community, understandably, is really looking forward to having this project complete- it’s going to be a milestone for the community when they switch to the new water supply,” he says. “I think it’s a real positive story for the community after having water issues for so many years.”
Chaulk says the updated timeline is due to general construction delays.
He says they hope to have Potlotek residents switched to the new facility by the end of November or December.
“The existing system continues to experience issues, as this new thing is built beside it, so there’s been disruptions in service,” he says. “It just can’t come soon enough.”
Chaulk says the $5 million project is on budget.
