(Submitted photo/Government of Saskatchewan)

By Ben Tompkins

Water System Upgrades

Narrow Hills Provincial Park receives nearly $1 million in federal and provincial investments

Sep 15, 2023 | 5:09 PM

A northeast provincial park is getting a significant financial boost from the Canadian and Saskatchewan Governments to upgrade its water system.

Narrow Hills Provincial Park (north of Smeaton) has received $493,000 from the provincial and federal governments, which amounts to a total of $986,000.

“The upgrades to the Narrow Hills Provincial Park water system are the latest of many important infrastructure upgrades being completed across the province,” explained Saskatchewan’s Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross.

“This year, our government is proud to invest more than $14 million into Saskatchewan’s provincial parks. These upgrades range from new visitor centres and campgrounds to accessibility and infrastructure improvements, to ensure our parks remain a top destination for Saskatchewan’s residents and guests for years to come.”

The funds are set to join its existing systems into a single water treatment plant and distribution facility, improving efficiency.

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This will include the construction of a new water treatment plant, potable water treatment equipment and a new backup well.

The hope is that the new system will make sure a safe and reliable drinking water supply remains available for generations to come.

“Canadians expect their local parks to be clean and pristine,” said Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs. “These investments in drinking and wastewater infrastructure upgrades in provincial parks in Saskatchewan will help protect the local water supply from environmental threats, ensuring that visitors have the cleanest drinking water possible.”

Currently, the park has four aging water treatment plants of various sizes and complexity, with these upgrades set to reduce operation costs.

While the current water is potable for users of the park, these types of upgrades have been a continuous process across all of Saskatchewan’s parks, with this project being highlighted at the top of the priority list.

When the upgrades are being done, there will be no impact on any users of the park, as it will be happening behind the scenes, with the existing facilities up and running until the new ones are in place.

The upgrades are part of a two-phase project, as early works are set to begin at the end of the month, with completion anticipated for the end of spring in 2024.

The other project which was invested in is the Danielson Provincial Park sewage lagoon to ensure it complies with regulatory requirements.

The Government of Canada’s funding comes from the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Including this announcement, 134 infrastructure projects or project bundles under the Green Infrastructure Stream have been announced in Saskatchewan, with a total federal contribution of more than $333.8 million and a total provincial contribution of nearly $232.2 million.

Under the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.

“The federal government is committed to supporting infrastructure projects that help communities grow and thrive,” added Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

“This is why we are proud to support improvements to the efficiency of water and wastewater systems in these provincial parks. This important work will ensure park visitors have the services they need and lays the groundwork for the continued sustainable growth of these important structures for years to come.”

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