Cranbrook staff will apply for grants to help fund an ultraviolet (UV) water disinfection facility at Philips Reservoir.
If approved, the project will be mostly covered by outside funding.
Officials with the city said the project would include a new building below the Philips Dam with UV reactors and on-site chlorine generation, for an estimated price of almost $13-million.
“If we’re successful on the grants, the city will be responsible for about $3.5-million,” said Mayor Lee Pratt.
Local governments can apply for up to 73.33 per cent of the funding from the provincial and federal levels. The city would need to pay a minimum of 26.67 per cent of the cost.
Staff said the application will be made to the ICIP Environmental Quality Grant, which has up to $270-million to help B.C. communities with infrastructure needs.
The project has been brought up in the past but has since resurfaced with a higher price tag.
“The reason it’s more expensive now is supply issues, for one thing. The supply chain has dried up for a lot of things, so the things that are coming out are priced way higher,” said Pratt. “Also, the shortage of labour has increased labour costs because people need to pay more to get people to work.”
If the facility gets funded, staff said it would help increase capacity for treating waste and stormwater, improve access to potable water and help reduce air and soil pollutants.
“It’s a process we don’t presently use, and that’s how technology is going,” said Pratt. “We decided we would apply for the grant, and if we’re successful we’ll go ahead with it.”
More: Phillips Reservoir UV Disinfection Facility ICIP Grant Application (City of Cranbrook)