Water for Bridgetown

By Lawrence Powell

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Bridgetown's new water system is one step closer to being a reality after Monday's infrastructure announcement in West Pubnico that will net the town $752,522 towards the project.

The money was allocated through the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund. Seven other municipalities, from Berwick to Argyle, received funding for water and sewer projects as well.

Bridgetown Mayor Art Marshall, who was in West Pubnico Monday, said he was pleased with the announcement.

"There will be further funding required, either through a rate review or further applications to the federal infrastructure fund for top-up money," Marshall said. "The gap between what we have and what we need will be determined by pre-design studies that are now under way."

The Bridgetown project includes construction of a reservoir, laying of 2.5 kilometres of pipe from the well head to the reservoir, and a chlorination plant at the well head. Pumps to move the water will also be needed, plus site preparation and site cleanup and restoration.

"We were a little surprised we received as much as we did right away," Marshall said. " We were plesently surprised by the amount, but we're also aware it is short of what the costs will be. We're pleased with this intitial allocation and look forward to a favorable response to our application for additional funding."

Marshall said it will take about four more weeks to complete pre-design work. After that the project moves into the final design stage which he said basically means getting geared up to put out construction tenders. He said tenders should be back, reviewed, and awarded by late August or early September.

Time is of the essence to complete the new water utility because Canadian drinking water quality guidelines are enforced by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment which has set an April 1, 2008 deadline for completion. Municipalities across the province are scrambling to upgrade or replace their existing systems.

Marshall said Bridgetown is looking at a phased approach with the reservoir, pipeline, and well head as separate components of the overall project. He said timelines are still uncertain.

"It depends on cost and the amount of money we have," explaining that contingent on the amount of cash on hand, the town would proceed with one or more of the phases this fall.

"If all the money was in place and we had an unbroken schedule, we should be real close (to the April 1 deadline)," he said. "If we didn't have winter to deal with we'd be fine."

The new resevoir will be large enough to containa three-day supply for the town and will be fed from two 10-inch production wells recently drilled and tested. Marshall said the initial water quality test were good. The tank will likely be constructed at the base of the North Mountain on Hampton Mountain Road.

The two wells will be able to provide more water than the town needs, something Marshall said bodes well for future growth.

"It's a good step in a process," Marshall said in regards to finally being able to go ahead. "We're happy to get it going."

Bridgetown has been exploring its options for quality water since 2001 when the first studies were done. The town had looked at filtering its existing water but the costs were prohibitive and operating costs of such a system were out of range.