Water system upgrade a big boost for Monarch, residents
The hamlet of Monarch is about to get a substantial upgrade to its water system when work is completed on the project in mid-September. According to Rick Bacon, director of municipal services for Lethbridge County, the upgrades, which include a new reservoir, pump system and truck-fill station, will have many benefits for local residents.
“It’s going to provide a storage volume at the Hamlet of Monarch so it won’t rely strictly on system and tower pressure,” he says. “Especially during times of firefighting, they will have increased firefighting capacity. It’s significantly more volume than the current tower is. We’ve got booster bumps in the pump station that will provide steady pressure through pumping versus relying on tower pressure for distribution.”
Having a steady and reliable water system is key for this growing community in southwest Alberta, he adds, and the new reservoir will also enhance the possibilities for development in the community.
“Once we had determined some upgrades were required, the tower there is nearing its life expectancy, the treatment system has been redundant because of the tie-in into the city, we took advantage of funding to improve the quality of life for our residents,” states Bacon.
The project is funded in part by a federal grant from the Government of Canada’s Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. Along with enhanced system pressure and capacity, the new pump station, located just outside of the hamlet, will improve hamlet safety by relocating the truck-fill station to the outskirts as well.
“There is already a truck-fill station in Monarch,” explains Bacon, “but the problem is with the existing truck-fill is the roadway system in the hamlet is beyond its life expectancy. So we have to institute road bans, and the big trucks can’t go in there to get water. Right now the trucks also have to drive through a residential neighbourhood where there is children, pets and people walking ... We (at the County) and the residents don’t want the heavy truck traffic going through the hamlet any longer.”