With a focus to provide clean and safe water to every residence in Erskine, the County of Stettler has received a small communities grant of four million dollars, which enabled them to start the water/sewer project in Erskine.
The funding of the grant will be provided in equal measure by the provincial government, federal government and municipality.
"The county was extremely happy that a four-million dollar grant came through," said Joe Gendre, county councillor, Erskine-Buffalo Lake. "We had engineers' drawings on the shelf that were very helpful to receive this grant."
Although at present, most homes in Erskine have wells to provide them with water, the council wishes to provide the option of using water from the network, and is in the process of discussing 'hook-up' fees for each residence.
According to the council, "clean, safe and reliable drinking water is one of the cornerstones of sustainable rural communities, and the hamlet of Erskine is moving closer towards achieving that status thanks to the Small Communities Grant."
"We at the county were extremely pleased to receive the Small Communities Grant for the further development of Erskine water distribution," said Reeve Wayne Nixon. "The work on this project has already begun with water from the Erskine reservoir being connected to the Erskine school and some branch line being installed for future use."
Reeve Nixon also added that in the next two years, 2016 and 2017, the "service will be taken to the new subdivision on the east side and other to be determined. This access to water will be a huge asset to the county's fire protection needs and to future development and certainly a source of safe water for our ratepayers."
As part of the New Building Canada Fund, confirmed in federal 2014 bidget, the Small Communities Fund (SCF) designates $94 million in federal funding to support infrastructure projects in Alberta communities with a population of 100,000 or less.
Focused on supporting local priorities, the SCF contribute to economic growth, a cleaner environment and stronger communities, by cost-sharing infrastructure investments among the three levels of government – federal, provincial, municipal.
Based on a competitive process, the SCF projects range from highways and major roads, public transit, connectivity and broadband to green energy, drinking water, and solid waste management, among others.
Earlier this year, in March 2015, the County of Stettler had applied to the SCF for funding to complete a water distribution system including providing "desperately needed potable water to the Erskine School and the Erskine Curling Rink".
The county was awarded the grant, and has three years to complete the project.
According to the council, the first phase of the project will include installing the main waterline in Erskine, and providing connections to the Erskine School, to be completed by 2016.
Phases 2 and 3 will include providing water hook-ups to the rest of the hamlet, including residences and businesses.
The new water distribution system will provide options for drinking water to all residents, besides also supplying Erskine with much needed fire protection.
"Fire protection is a very large component of the water system," said Gendre. "As of today council has not made a decision on the price per hook up, but there seems to be a willingness to keep it as low as possible to get as many hooked up on the grant application. Erskine has around $140,000 in reserves from the sewage system that went in 30 years ago that I would like to apply to the water hook-ups."