PUB approves utility fees for wastewater treatment plant

The Manitoba Public Utilities Board has approved fees for the Red Seine Rat Wastewater Treatment Plant, which could see residents paying more than $30 every quarter on their utility bills.

“This is all part and parcel of the AGMs that we did have with each community back in early spring,” said Hanover Reeve Jim Funk, who is chair of the RSR Wastewater Cooperative.

Utility charges will begin this month, once approved by councils, with the first quarter bill coming in September to be paid at the municipal offices. Hanover just approved second reading to implement the charges.

Funk said the money will be used to fund the $235 million wastewater treatment plant project, which has already broken ground just north of Niverville.

Tax payers in Mitchell, Blumenort, and New Bothwell will see an increase of $38.33 per quarter for the first four quarters in 2026-2027 and increasing annually to $114.98 by 2028-2029. Residents in Kleefeld and Grunthal, which only have sewer service, will see an increase of $1.05 per cubic meter of water used. The projected revenue for the first four quarters from Hanover to the project is estimated to be $139,000.

Niverville will see an increase of $32.22 per quarter for the first year to $96.66 by the third year. La Broquerie will see quarterly fees of $32.26 the first year, growing to $96.78 by year three, while De Salaberry will see fees of $21.90 the first year to $96.78 by the third year. The RM of Ritchot will see $0.68 per cubic meter quarterly the first year to $2.03 per cubic meter by year three, while the RM of Tache will see $0.38 per cubic meter to $1.13 per cubic meter.

Tipping fees will be $70 for a single axle and $140 for a double axle. Currently, Ritchot has no tipping fees and will begin to pay them this month and La Broquerie will see their tipping fees increase from $42.

“(The treatment plant) is very important to some of our communities (in Hanover) because we will have to put a hold on development in at least one of our communities and possibly even two,” said Funk.

Development in the LUDs of Kleefeld and New Bothwell have been put on hold because the lagoons are full or near capacity. Funk said once the treatment plant is built the RM will hold onto one lagoon per LUD, out of the 16 that currently exist, in case of an emergency. He said there is talk of some lagoons being turned into water retention ponds when there is spring run-off.

During the Hanover development plan open house a week ago, some Kleefeld residents voiced their concerns that their drinking water was brown and they thought the RM should address that before focusing on other projects and residential developments.

Funk said that problem will be addressed with a water treatment plant.

“We realize that we do have tainted water in Kleefeld. And it’s not that it’s been put on the back burner, it’s just that that will (need) a lot of planning and preparing,” he said.

Funk couldn’t say when the water treatment plant will be built for Kleefeld residents.

Construction of the wastewater treatment plant and its infrastructure is estimated to be finalized in 2029.

“I think in years to come, we will see how good of a project this is,” said Funk. “It’s very much like the floodway. When they built the floodway, it was not very appetizing to the taxpayers, but yet look what it has done. And now we see the foresight that (Premier Dufferin Roblin) actually did have.”