The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Cleaner water could be flowing through Flin Flon taps by early July, but there is no firm date on when the new water treatment plant will be commissioned. A few more steps are required before the massive facility, adjacent to the Aqua Centre, is ready to begin treating the city's drinking water. 'I'm hoping that it's in a month, but it could be a little longer than that,' Coun. Bill Hanson said at last week's council meeting. Chief Administrative Officer Mark Kolt said the question of an opening date is under discussion. 'It's a complicated project and coordination between the different companies doing different things is somethingthat needs to be worked on,' he added. The city initially hoped to have the plant open in 2012, but work fell behind schedule. It is being built by contractors. The plant carries a price tag of $15.2-million. The city and the province are each contributing $5.4 million, with the remaining $4.4 million coming fromOttawa. Flin Flon's drinking water has failed to meet all health standards in recent years, so the province mandated construction of the plant. While the province asserts that Flin Flon's drinking water is not as safe as it should be, health officials have not implemented a boil-water advisory for the community. Support for the plant is not unanimous among city council. In 2011, Coun. Colleen McKee was the lone councillor to vote against a motion to borrow money to build the facility. Coun. McKee, chair of the Finance Committee, cited finances and her opinion that the drinking water is okay the way it is. At a 2011 sod-turning ceremony at the plant site, Mayor George Fontaine said the city wanted a plant that would not only filter the water, but also improve other parts of the system. And so the facility not only updates pumping and heating capabilities, but also improves the city's firefighting capacity.
