After shuffling excess funds around, council voted unanimously to build more capacity into a section of the sewer system located at 37 Street and 54 Avenue at its regularly scheduled meeting March 4.
The $140,200 construction project is meant to lessen the burden on the current sanitary trunk main, which is at 120 per cent of capacity and expected to rise with the connection of the new Woodland development this year.
“It's a pretty good band-aid,” said Coun. Derek Baird.
The project had originally been on the agenda for 2012, but was postponed when it was discovered alignment with the new trunk main in the new regional sewer line design created a conflict.
The sanitary dual main project was deemed necessary by administration given the regional sewer system won't be fully operational until 2015 in the best-case scenario. The build will include a temporary manhole and connection to let the dual main flow into Innisfail's current wastewater system.
Another pipe connection is required to connect to the new lift station.
Funds for the project were made available after council decided to split surplus of $490,000 from real estate deals between the land acquisition reserve ($250,000) and the general capital reserve ($240,000) in a creative motion put forward by Coun. Mark Kemball.
“There's more than one way to skin a cat,” he said.
