The city will be spending $53,000 sooner than expected on the water treatment plant.
At Monday’s development and planning meeting, council received late item, a report from engineering and public work director Rob Niewenhuizen, who said $53,000 was needed for the replacement of treatment cells. The cells, he explained, are used for the creation of hypochlorite, which in turn is used to disinfect the water.
“We use it up at the twin reservoirs, and also at the Metford Dam,” said Niewenhuizen. “So, over the weekend, some of the cells… had gone down and we are at a risk of not being able to produce this hypochlorite to put into the system.”
Niewenhuizen said staff had planned to identify the cell replacements in the 2016 budget, but the need arose sooner than anticipated.
City administrator Carl Bannister said funding could come from the a surplus in the water fund, projected to be half a million dollars by the end of the year.
“Usually, each year, there’s a surplus in running that function,” said Bannister. “In 2015, it’s projected to be $75,000, bringing the total surplus to half a million. We would propose that it come from that fund.”