Steinbach to go it alone on sewage planning

A decision to address their own sewage woes rather than become partners in a regional wastewater cooperative will save Steinbach residents money and allow the city to retain their assets.

That was the message council delivered in April as they applied for 50 percent funding for the wastewater treatment facility upgrade.

The entire project will include several parts and is expected to reach $132.5 million.

Council approved a motion applying for $65.4 million from the Canada Housing Infrastructure Program.

City Manager Troy Warkentin told council they had looked into joining the Red-Seine-Rat (RSR) Wastewater Cooperative, but found Steinbach’s cost would be 25 to 30 percent higher if they chose that route.

He said it would also require them to cede ownership of parts of the existing wastewater treatment assets because of how cooperatives work.

“That was not an ideal solution and certainly not one that council felt was the direction they wanted to go,” he said.

Steinbach’s sewage lagoon was built about 30 years ago and last expanded in 2010.

He said there’s several parts the plan including the expansion of lagoon cells and mechanical treatment options, an upgrade to the force main and lift station on Park Road West to increase the pumping capacity of the city’s system, and a new lift station at the corner of Park Road West and Twin Creek Road at the western edge of Steinbach.

That would allow an additional two square miles to be serviced.

He told council the city would also be looking for more funding streams for the project.

Coun. Michael Zwaagstra made the motion to approve the application for funds, saying it’s important city residents know that staff has done their due diligence and that this is the lower cost option.

“Obviously we have to be responsible with our tax dollars,” he said. “I am certainly hopeful that we will get this grant funding and then more grant funding beyond this.”

He warned that the project will remain ambitious.

“This is still going to be a significant impact on our budget in the upcoming years, but this is one of those things we have to do,” he said. “We do not want to ever be in the situation where the city is not able to issue building permits and so we are planning well in advance.”

Coun. Jac Siemens seconded the motion, saying it’s a lot of money, but adding it’s necessary.

“We know we need this project in the next seven to eight years,” he said. “It’s critical and we need to get on it.”

Mayor Earl Funk referenced the City of Morden as a community that saw growth outstrip their ability to provide services, saying he was told by Morden mayor Nancy Penner that they have had a stop on development since 2020.

“What a challenge that is when a community has to say, “Stop, no more development,” he said. “We don’t want that for our city. We want our city to continue to grow.”