Nanton looks to larger neighbour to secure future water supply

The Town of Nanton is working with the Town High River on a plan to build a treated water pipeline between the two southern Alberta communities.

Nanton, about 65 kilometres south of Calgary, needs to secure its future potable water supply.

The proposed pipeline would replace the town's current sources: theHighwood River and Women's Coulee reservoir via Mosquito Creek with additional supply from the Spring Line.

The bulk of its supply is stored in a raw water reservoir, which needs to be filled by October every year to get through the winter months. A pipeline would eliminate the need to build a second reservoir and replaceits water treatment plant.

"It would guarantee the town's water supply for the long term," said Nanton's chief administrative officer, Neil Smith.

Smith says the town is in discussions with its neighbour about 30 kilometres north to explore the possibility of a $15-million treated water pipeline. Ninety per cent of the project would be covered by a Water For Life grant from the provincial government.

"They're our closest large municipal neighbour. They've been very supportive, so we're feeling somewhat positive about it," said Smith.

Smith says a pipeline would also remove a lot of the doubt around the town's supply and possible future projects and development.

High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass says his town ispotentially willing to help but the proposal needs much more investigation.

"We're not committing to anything until we've got our own water aquifer studies," said Snodgrass.

"Nanton would have to bring a licence to the table and everything else. There's lots of water logistics that have to come into play to make it happen, but we're definitely at the table to look into it."

Snodgrass says High River already supplies large amounts of its water to Foothills County, the nearby Cargill meat-packing plant and the hamlet of Cayley.

It's estimated theproject would take five to eight years to complete, if the two towns come to an agreement.