REGINA — Landfill decommissioning, redirection of waste to new facilities and water treatment upgrades are among the projects recently outlined by the office of the minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities in Saskatchewan.
A joint allocation of more than $45 million from federal, provincial and local governments will support an increased supply of safe and reliable drinking water, effective wastewater treatment and cleaner soil for communities across Saskatchewan, according to a press release.
The northwest of the province will see the decommissioning of non-engineered landfill sites for 18 municipalities, along with the redirection of waste to two new solid waste facilities. The new sites will serve 23 communities and are equipped with barriers to contain pollutants, keeping the soil and groundwater safe and clean.
Several other communities will also see infrastructure improvements. These include the decommissioning of landfills that do not adhere to environmental standards in the City of Humboldt, the towns of Wolseley, Duck Lake and Regina Beach, the Rural Municipality of Excel No. 71 and the villages of Beechy, Hodgeville, Mistatim, Rhein, and Wilcox.
In addition, the Town of Eatonia will receive funding for wastewater treatment upgrades, while the Town of Gravelbourg will get upgrades to critical drinking watermains, protecting public health for generations to come.
Funding will also support the decommissioning of the Chelan and Peesane landfills in the Rural Municipality of Bjorkdale No. 426. This work includes designing and constructing final engineered covers and conducting land reclamation activities for future use.