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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Coffee and juice were the beverages of choice, but H20 was the focus Tuesday as officials gathered to commemorate the new water treatment plant now under construction. More than a dozen guests assembled near the construction site for a sod-turning ceremony more than a year ahead of the facility's anticipated commissioning. "We are a modern city," said Flin Flon MLA Gerard Jennissen after touching on the substantial funding and partnerships required to bring the project to fruition. Jennissen said the treatment plant will solve concerns relating to trihalomethanes, potentially harmful compounds found in the water, and turbidity, a measure of water clarity. Increase reliability He said the plant, going up adjacent to Ross Creek near the Aqua Centre, should also increase the reliability of the water system as it will include new pumping and heating components. Mayor George Fontaine stressed that the city wanted a plant that would not only filter the water, as required by law, but also simultaneously improve other parts of the system. And so the facility not only updates pumping and heating capabilities, but also enhances the city's firefighting capacity. "As a city, as a council, we've tried to make sure we're getting the project we need instead of (only) what was mandated," said Fontaine, adding that he believes this goal has been met. Though the physical groundwork for the plant only recently began, the city has spent the better part of three years planning and preparing for the facility. When that is taken into account, Rick Bacon, the city's director of works and operations, said the project is actually about three-quarters complete. Bacon called it "an extremely important project" that will mean "a huge improvement" for the community. While the federal government will pick up nearly one-third of the estimated $15.2-million tab, it was unable to send a representative to Tuesday's ceremony. Instead, Municipal Administrator Mark Kolt read a statement on behalf of Lynn Yelitch, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. See 'HBMS...' on pg. 7 Continued from pg. 1 Her statement called the plant "a very important project" as water quality is an essential aspect of municipal services and quality of life in general. Under its long-running funding arrangement with the city, HBMS is also helping to pick up the eight-figure tab. The company said it is providing about $1.8 million, or roughly one-third of the city's total contribution of $5.4 million. "Certainly we enjoy being a partner with the city in advancing these types of projects," Brad Lantz, vice-president, mining, for parent HudBay Minerals, told the delegates. Also taking to the podium was Dan Reimer, president of Penn-Co Construction, which is building the plant. "I want to congratulate Flin Flon on this very, very important project," he said. Reimer said his company has completed a number of projects in Flin Flon and always utilizes local labour. Eric Hutchison, who is managing the project for the consulting and design firm AECOM, said he is "looking forward to a successful project." The city and the province are both contributing $5.4 million toward the plant, with the remaining $4.4 million coming from Ottawa. Considered safe Flin Flon's drinking water, while considered safe for consumption, once again failed to meet all health standards in 2010. The city's latest annual water report shows that samples tested throughout last year breached, on at least three occasions, provincial limits for trihalomethanes. Trihalomethanes are a byproduct of the chemical reaction between organics in the water and chlorine, which the city adds as its sole disinfectant. The report further acknowledges the city is "not always able to meet the guidelines for odour" in the water, but those guidelines are subjective. "There are more than 80 guidelines for drinking water quality," it adds. "Flin Flon supplies high quality drinking water, and normally meets these guidelines."
