A $36-million sewer and storm water project designed to provide for future growth in Red Deer and other nearby communities was announced Friday.

The cost of the project, which involves building pipelines underneath the Red Deer River to connect the city’s east side with water treatment facilities on the west side, will be shared equally between the city, province and federal government.

Besides providing enough capacity for the city’s expected growth in the southeast, the infrastructure upgrading will provide a sewer link between communities south of the city and the wastewater treatment plant.

Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling acknowledged that sewer lines are not glamourous projects, but they are critical to ensuring the city can grow and water quality is ensured.

“It’s not very exciting stuff, but it’s a very necessary stuff,” he said following the announcement at River Bend Golf Course.

“Environmentally, it’s the right thing to do.”

Red Deer MP Earl Dreeshen said the project will also create jobs and is part of the federal government’s economic action plan that was unveiled in the 2009 budget. Over two years, $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding will be provided. As well, the $33-billion Building Canada Plan has been accelerated.

Alberta Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette said the project is about improving the quality of life in Central Alberta and fits in with the province’s Water for Life Strategy.

The project will also provide an economic boost at a time when it appears the province is emerging from the recession, he added.

Flewwelling said while the influx of cash is good news it shouldn’t be seen as a sign that the city is closer to lining up cash for a proposed ring road that would connect Hwy 11A to a route east of the city on 20th Avenue.

“That’s off the table right now. I mean it’s on our table, but it’s not yet on the province’s table, and we won’t know whether the feds are interested in putting money into it later or not,” said Flewwelling.

“It’s certainly not in the immediate future.”

Ouellette said his responsibility is for provincial highways and there is no funding program for local roads in place currently. Municipalities have the option of directing other provincial grants, such as the Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, towards those kinds of projects if they wish.

The pipeline project includes a number of components:

• Twin 1.2-metre lines will complete the Riverside Drive sanitary trunk system on the west side of the river.

• A wastewater line will also be built on the east side of the river to serve the East Hill area and eventually act as a connection to a regional pipeline serving communities to the south.

• A large 2.7-metre storm water line will also be built and a treatment pond will be built on the east side of the river to serve the East Hill area.

• A storm sewer main and treatment pond will also be built on the west side of the river near the existing wastewater treatment plant.

pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com