The city is moving forward in completing a major stormwater project.
Council has approved the contract with In-Line Contracting Partnership from Edmonton for the structure #5 project. It is the final control structure in the Neale Edmunds Storm System that needed rehabilitation.
The city had four bids on the project and chose In-Line who had a bid of $161,750. The bid came in under budget and the extra funding will be left aside for future stormwater projects.
The control structures were made in the 1980s and were inherited by the city from Ducks Unlimited. Since then the structures deteriorated and needed to be replaced. Four of the five were restored over the past two years.
“It’s great to see from a structural standpoint that we are building integrity back into the system because without those control structures water would be free-flowing,” says Mayor Gerald Aalbers. “There would be a lot more pressure on rural roads and the infrastructure that moves the water down through the big gully system.”
Councillor Aaron Buckingham says the upgrade will help keep the water flow in control during heavy rain periods.
“It’s trying to make sure that when we have these one-in-a-hundred storm activities, that we seem to be having one every year, are controlled properly. There’s a lot of work to be done for these stormwater systems and there’s still work to be done.”
The mayor estimates $60 million over 30 years will be spent on upgrading the city’s stormwater system. The project is expected to start in January 2020. The culvert installation is scheduled for March 20 and the final earthworks rehabilitation is expected to be done by May 30.