After years of boil-water advisories, Fundy Albert gets $12M to upgrade water system
Community's aging water system wasn't built for yearly influx of tourists, mayor says
Fundy Albert, which includes Alma next to Fundy National Park, is getting $12 million to upgrade its aging water infrastructure.
This comes after years of boil-water advisories in the community, including one that lasted from July to October.
The culprit is an aging water system not built to handle the sheer volume of tourists pouring into the community each summer, according to Robert Rochon, the mayor of Fundy Albert.
The $12 million will allow the community to build a new well and the system to pump the water out.
Fundy Albert Mayor Robert Rochon said the new infrastructure will allow for more growth in the community. (Shane Fowler/CBC)
"The system that was servicing the community of Alma was really built for a residential area," Rochon said.
"Over the years, there's been a tremendous growth in businesses and it's gotten to the point where the system that was built back then was basically being overwhelmed by the demands that were being placed on it."
The lion's share of the funding is coming from the federal government, which has pledged $7,344,000. The provinceis providing $4,079,592 and the municipality $816,408.
Rochon said the new system will allow for more growth in the community and will be a godsend for local businesses.
"It's been really difficult on residents and business owners," said Rochon.
"It's been costly for them because when they're going through repeated boil-water advisories, especially for the businesses, they incur a lot more cost in providing bottled water for their customers."
Last year the municipality had to get a temporary water supply from Fundy National Park and asked businesses to limit water use and even closed or limited the use of public washrooms.
These measures may be brought back next season as construction is expected to take a couple of years.
"The unfortunate reality is this system is not going to be constructed overnight," said Rochon.
"It's going to take a little while, probably in the range of 2 to 2½ years to construct. Our engineering partners are telling us that we're probably looking at a similar situation next year."
Rochon said the goal is to have the system upgraded enough by 2025 to avoid the need for temporary water supplies and boil-water advisories.
With files from Shift
I'd rather see this than outright lies.
Why 30 months for a well and some piping ? ....The Empire State Bldg. was built in 16 months....
Good Day....
"The lion's share of the funding is coming from the federal government, which has pledged $7,344,000. The provinceis providing $4,079,592 and the municipality $816,408."