Barriere Star/Journal
District of Barriere has been awarded a $4,836,735 dollar gas tax grant for 100 per cent funding of new twin production deep wells, a second reservoir for the south end of the existing distribution system and an upgrade to the main line between Bradford Rd. and Barriere Lakes Rd.
“Potable water is the life blood of a community. With this grant the community is ensured a source of safe, clean drinking water, as well as fire protection, for many years to come. Without this grant the district could not have undertaken this project. Thank you on behalf of the citizens of Barriere," said Virginia Smith, District of Barriere mayor.
These improvements will provide the District of Barriere with a very robust and secure water system that will be sustainable over the long term.
With two existing deep wells nearing the end of their productive life, the two new wells will be supported by a younger existing well while the older deep well and another shallow ground water well will be taken out of service.
The new reservoir on the south end of the system will increase the quantity of water immediately available for fire protection and distribution throughout the district. A water main upgrade from Bradford to Barriere Lakes Rd. will eliminate a bottleneck created by old and under-sized asbestos/concrete (A/C) pipe.
The project will take two to three years to complete all of the phases. Work will begin on the upgrades as soon as tenders are prepared and awarded and weather permits.
This project is one of the 57 projects that are being funded through the Strategic Priorities Fund under the Federal Gas Tax Fund for 2016.
“Through the federal gas tax fund, the government of Canada is allowing communities in B.C., and all across Canada, to make informed decisions about their infrastructure investments and how best to spend federal dollars," commented the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.
Union of BC Municipalities administers the federal gas tax fund in British Columbia in partnership with the governments of Canada and British Columbia.
Each year, the government of Canada provides over $253 million in indexed funding for local government infrastructure projects across British Columbia through the federal Gas Tax Fund.
The funding can be spent on any eligible project the community prioritizes across a broad range of eligible project categories, or it can be pooled with other communities for regional projects, banked for later priorities or used to pay for financed projects.