Council asked to spend $1.5M to address contaminated water

The City of Saskatoon administration recommends paying Stantec Consulting Ltd. $1.5 million to create a remediation plan for water hydrants contaminated with hydrocarbons.

Stantec was initially retained to provide engineering consulting services for $50,000.

But Stantec now estimates the cost to move forward would be $1.5 million, according to a report marked “urgent business” — made public at 5 p.m. Friday — for Monday’s environment, utilities and corporate services committee meeting.

Hydrants in Aspen Ridge were found to be contaminated on Jan. 10 and the Water Security Agency issued a “Do Not Use” drinking water advisory for 10 homes in the new neighbourhood in the city’s northeast.

Stantec was retained “to determine a plan to develop a proposal for remediating hydrocarbon contaminated infrastructure,” but the investigation required “extensive inspection of infrastructure, laboratory sampling and testing,” according to the administration report.

Based on that work, the cost to move forward is about $1,575,000 but not including any construction costs.

The breakdown of the costs in the report includes $700,000 for remediation plan development and $400,000 for construction oversight.

Council could choose not to accept Stantec’s estimate, but “this is not recommended as the consulting engineer who has completed the initial investigation is best suited” to develop the remediation plan and provide construction oversight, the report said.

Work could carry over into 2019, it added.

On May 11, the city announced hydrocarbons had also been found in a hydrant on the line that supplies the Costco store in Rosewood, and the store was also issued a “Do Not Use” advisory by the Water Security Agency.