The City of Wetaskiwin received $17.9 million from the Government of Alberta to help fund the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.  

Maskwacis–Wetaskiwin MLA and Minister of Indigenous Relations Rick Wilson and Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam announced the additional funding on May 17.  

Through years of lobbying efforts and support from Wilson, Wetaskiwin City Council has secured over $34 million in funding for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, including $12.9 million from the Alberta Provincial Grant, and an additional $4 million from the province last year.   

“The new Wastewater Treatment Plant is a win for the environment and our local economy,” said Gandam. “It will give our community the capability to accommodate increased residential growth and allow for specific industries to open in our community that we otherwise would not have had the resources to support, such as craft breweries.”  

Previously, Peace Hills Utilities Inc. informed city council that an approximate 41 per cent utility rate increase would be required to fund the project.   

With the additional funding from the province, the city is projecting an estimated 10 per cent decrease in current utility rates, which were increased by 31 per cent in 2023 for the project.   

Construction of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant was deemed necessary after it was determined that the city’s old lagoon system, did not have the technologies required to meet the revised wastewater regulations under the Provincial and Federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations.   

The new plant is expected to be fully operational by August.