With gold-coloured shovels in hand, five provincial dignitaries heaved dirt into the air to help launch the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant’s three-year renewal project.

More than 40 people — area MLAs, the mayors of Regina and Moose Jaw, plant board members, employees, project contractors, and others — attended the official kickoff of the $325.6 million construction initiative on July 18.

Construction started in June and is expected to conclude in late 2025. Work so far has included constructing temporary roads, starting new summer ponds, relocating a natural gas line, refurbishing a chemical tank, and starting various underground services. 

More than 260,000 people in the area can access this water, which is a life-sustaining liquid important to the region’s growth, Mayor Clive Tolley said. 

“The longer we wait for these kinds of projects, the more they cost … . It’s a big deal to be doing it now and getting it done,” he remarked. 

Tolley was last at the water treatment plant (WTP) in 1989 as a city councillor when upgrades were made. He recalled that the venue gave each member a bottle filled with water from the plant — he still has the bottle — to celebrate those upgrades. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the operation looks like now, and then I’ll come back for the ribbon-cutting in three years and it will be interesting to see the developments (and) improvements that have been made,” he remarked.

Those past upgrades were important, while the refurbishments now will benefit many more people and ensure future water security, he added. 

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