'It'll mean that our supply is guaranteed': Miltonvale well field project in the home stretch

This week, as part of the Miltonvalewell field project, crews have beeninstalling the water mains from thewell field site into the city of Charlottetown.

It means the city is one step closer to havinga much-needed additional water supply.

"You're in the home stretch what you're looking at today," said Coun. Eddie Rice. "This is the last year of the project. It's caused a great deal of work, but it's also caused confusion for people, but everyone's been understanding, and it's needed. We had no choice."

'Preserve the Winter River'

Once completed, the five new wells in the community ofMiltonvalePark, will pump about 4,000 litres per minute and supply one-quarter of Charlottetown's water supply, easingthe strain on the Winter River watershed.

"We're drawing down from Winter River, and most of our water today is taken from there, so we have to prepare ourselves that we cutback, do a cutback, in order to preserve the Winter River and its basins, and we had to cut back, and we have done that by doing this project," Rice explained.

Rice said the cost of the project is $18 million. The federal government is covering 50 per cent of the total cost of the project with the province and city each contributing 25 per cent.

"By ourselves or even with the province, we couldn't do it," said Rice.

'Our supply is guaranteed'

"It'll mean that our supply is guaranteed, that's one thing. We were getting at a very close to the top of what we're allowed to remove, extract, and there's new rules in extraction and they're being raised, so we would have to be almost, if it wasn't done, we would be at a point where water would not be available 24/7, so this guarantees it is," he added.

Work on the water mains should be finished in about 10 days, with water flowing by September.

Reservoirs will then installed by the end of November to complete the project.

But, it may not be the last big ticket water project for the city.

'Start planning for another one'

"It also guarantees expansion for the City of Charlottetown, and for its surroundings residents," Rice said.

"It will guarantee us time to really just start planning for another one. We'll be even looking at further down the road atoptioninganother piece of land because 10 years means nothing in this line of work."

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