Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) recently received more than $4 million in grant funding to improve the village’s water supply.
The grant comes from the federal and provincial governments as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. It will be used for a four-kilometre pipeline connecting the surface water reservoir built in 2020 to the water treatment plant. The overall cost is estimated at $6.25 million, and $4,583,125 is now grant-funded.
Increasing water needs come from a surge in population in recent years, with census data showing the population more than doubled between 2016 and 2021. The increase in permanent residents, alongside the new housing developments Switchback Creek and Alder Estates will further increase water use.
Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine said the grant is welcome news, as the municipality previously funded the surface water received through investing $6.5 million and the municipality is still servicing the debt.
“We’re very pleased to get that support,” he said. “Without the grant, I’m not sure we could do the project.”
The surface water reservoir supplements groundwater by collecting runoff from rain and snowmelt.
The funding was announced on March 22, World Water Day, with 14 different communities receiving funding for water-related projects.
Anne Kang, minister of municipal affairs, provided a statement about the funding.
“The Municipal Water Supply Line project will increase the water supply for people in the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality, better protecting them against water shortages and summer drought conditions,” she said.
This spring and summer are already shaping up to be a scarce year for water, with the River Forecast Center showing snowpack for B.C. at 63 per cent of normal, “the lowest in 50 years.”
Experts at the River Forecast Centre noted that there will be “significantly higher drought risk for this spring and summer.”
In a press release provided by SPMRM, Harjit Sajjan, minister of emergency preparedness, made a statement on behalf of Sean Fraser, minister of housing, infrastructure, and communities.
“To support healthy communities and protect ecosystems, we must prioritize upgrades and maintenance of clean drinking water facilities and wastewater treatment systems,” Sajjan said.
Engineering for the project starts this summer, and the pipeline should be built next summer.
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