Iqaluit councillors vote to build 2nd water reservoir
Councillors choose more expensive water supply option, requiring reallocation of money from water pipe replacement work
Iqaluit councillors considered two high-level concepts of a new water supply system and voted for the option outlined in red on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy of Colliers Project Leaders/City of Iqaluit)
As part of Iqaluit’s long-term water system upgrades, city councillors have voted unanimously in favour of a design concept that includes a new reservoir to be built next to Lake Geraldine that would draw water from two nearby sources.
That design reallocates $20 million from the $80 million the City of Iqaluit had been planning to spend to upgrade its piped water infrastructure.
“Although that’s a necessary reality, that’s pretty concerning to me because without safe, consistent, reliable delivery systems, Iqalummiut can’t even benefit from increased capacity of our reservoir,” said Coun. Romeyn Stevenson during Tuesday’s council meeting.
Representatives from Colliers Project Leaders presented two concepts for water supply systems. Both would both draw water from Qikiqtalik Lake and the Apex River into Lake Geraldine, and then to the city’s water system.
The first concept includes construction of a reservoir adjacent to Lake Geraldine that would collect water from the river and Qikiqtalik Lake through two separate pipes.
The second concept does not include a reservoir next to Lake Geraldine. Instead, water from the two sources would be pumped directly into Lake Geraldine, with Qikiqtalik Lake acting as a reservoir for water pumped from the Apex River.
Ian McBean, Colliers’ Iqaluit water project director, told council the first concept would be a “lower risk” option, with a shorter distance between the reservoir and Lake Geraldine.
The first concept would be more expensive to build. However, the second concept would be costlier to operate because it would require more protection against freezing.
According to numbers provided in city council documents, the first option carries a price tag of approximately $153.6 million, while the second would cost around $111.6 million.
Colliers’ presentation indicated a water supply lasting through 2050 on both concepts. No completion date was listed, but option one would begin construction in 2026, and option two would start in 2027.
The costs would be paid for through the $214 million Iqaluit received from the federal government in 2022 to complete the upgrades to the city’s water system.
Coun. Kyle Sheppard asked what could be done to “step it up a little bit,” because of the time it has taken to get this project rolling and because there are no firm completion timelines.
McBean said project design, which he described as the “heavy lifting,” is about 30 per cent complete.
Also, he said, there’s still a permitting process that could take up to a year to complete.
“While that’s being done, the design will be finalized and we’ll be ready for construction as soon as that permit’s issued,” McBean said.
Sheppard re-emphasized the need to seek more funding from federal and territorial sources to ensure upgrades to both the water supply and delivery systems can be completed.
“We are still in a water emergency,” he said.
“While this supply is being expanded, that last mile infrastructure is still crumbling and does need to be replaced.”
Awesome news!
Better put in those proposals to the feds before election time, the new guys will be making some cuts,
It’s interesting you mention that. Under Harper, the Federal Conservatives transferred more funding for infrastructure in Nunavut than the current government has.
Over 42 projects, totaling $419 million, were directed to communities across Nunavut for the construction of water treatment plants, recreation centers, solid waste sites, and more. This was in addition to significant investments like the High Arctic Research Station, the Iqaluit Airport, and the Iqaluit Deep Sea Port.
However, I agree that cuts are likely coming for feel-good programs with little to no tangible outcomes, like land trips, conferences, and events as well as over staffed federal offices that contract out their own jobs.
I believe the City will manage just fine, but it’s possible that NTI, ITK, and the Regional Inuit Organizations (which don’t bear any responsibility for infrastructure) might see their gravy train funding streams slow to a crawl.
Don’t worry Steve England will be there he’s good with his job
Well Sheppard… if we are still in a water emergency, why did you push council’s water price changes this year to include cutting the cost of residential water IN HALF? Or push 0% tax increases this year?
Is it a misunderstanding of what water uses are price elastic, or just a focus on short-term soundbites over long-term sustainability?
I guess we can always fall back on the old playbook of blaming a lack of support from the GN and GOC… Even when they give Iqaluit a quarter of a BILLION dollars for the issue.
Are you really going to leave out the fact that water price changes also included business rates being DOUBLED? While government rates were quadrupled?
In my mind, those changes offset each other. I don’t think the changes have negatively contributed to the water crises as you seem to be suggesting
Gouging government on water rates appears to have been an effective, though uncollaborative, way to raise even more funding from other governments. Why would we “offset” this new government money while our infrastructure is “crumbling”.
The city doesn’t act like it is in an “emergency”.