MAPLETON – The Township of Mapleton is moving forward with multi-project plan to expand their water and wastewater infrastructure.
This in response to keep up with a large population increase in Drayton and Moorefield.
Mapleton council approved a short-term $14 million plan of studies and capital projects spanning from 2020 to 2025.
Studies will include: water and wastewater condition assessment and inventory at $100,000 and a water and wastewater master plan for growth areas at $250,000.
Drayton will see two major projects move forward such as a water tower and new sewage pumping station at $4 million and $3.5 million respectively.
Other projects include increasing the well supply capacity at $2 million and improvements to the water pollution control plant at $4.5 million.
CAO Manny Baron noted that these are high-level estimate numbers and actual amounts will come to council as they are determined.
Councillor Dennis Craven stressed that the water tower needs to be put up as soon as possible as he worries about the potential for a lack of water to put out a major fire.
“Imagine yourself looking at a big building that’s burning and you have no water to put it out, what kind of a sinking feeling that is,” Craven said.
The township has been working on a plan to improve water and wastewater infrastructure for many years.
Council had recently stopped a plan to outsource running and managing the system and chose to go ahead with it themselves.
With this in mind, councillor Michael Martin questioned if expensive studies were truly necessary as they know a lot about the town's needs already.
Mayor Gregg Davidson said a plan can anticipate the infrastructure needs of future development.
He noted that when they repaved the main road in Moorefield they could have put a main sewage line in at the same time but didn’t.
“It wasn’t forethought, so this would give that forethought to any future planning,” Davidson said.
