Public invited to learn more about expansive SAWSP project

The first phase of the expansive Special Areas Water Supply Project (SAWSP) is now complete and the Special Areas Board is now looking to hear from local ratepayers and stakeholders to learn more about the project, ask questions, and provide feedback.

Three community information sessions are scheduled to take place next week for people to learn more about the water supply project that has been in the planning stages for years.

“We’re at the end of the phase, which started in 2011, the first in a multi-step process,” said Maeghan Chostner, communications officer for Special Areas.

Experts who worked closely on Phase One, which involved the project’s environmental impact assessment, will be attending the community information sessions to offer their information and answer questions.

“It is essential to have those experts there,” said Chostner, adding that people in the region are wanting to know more about the project.

“It seems like there’s a real appetite to learn more about the project,” she said. “There is a lot of complexity and detail to the project. The information sessions are a way for us to provide access to the information and for the public to learn about key updates.”

Once complete, there would be 103 kms of pipeline for 8,000 acres of irrigation and three reservoirs, all of which would benefit 270 farms. Included in the project would also be 14 multi-use projects.

The cost of the project, based on 2014 estimates would be $410 million to construct and $5.6 million to operate each year. It is estimated that there would be $4.2 million in annual production benefits to the region.

Since 2004, Special Areas has invested $3.63 million into SAWSP and the province has contributed $1.71 million.

“The advisory committee provided direction in 2019 to engage with the public and we want to present the information in a way that’s digestible,” said Chostner. “The board is committed to meaningful consultation. This is a huge project and conditions in the province are challenging.”

Once the information sessions are complete, Chostner said they will then engage ratepayers and stakeholders for broader feedback.

The first community information session will take place at the GEM Centre in Consort from 1-3 p.m. on March 5, with the second taking place at the Willow Creek Event Centre in Hanna the same day from 6:308:30. The third and final information session will take place at the Oyen Seniors Rec Centre on March 6 from 10 a.m. to noon.