Pickle Lake nears goal for new water tower
The Township of Pickle Lake has secured $5.9 million in funds from the province for a new water tower.
Mayor James Dalzell announced the funding on Thursday. The grant comes from Ontario’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, specifically the Health and Safety Water Stream.
Pickle Lake is now two thirds of the way towards their funding goal of $8.2 million.
“The urgency on this is the water tower is currently 50 years old. It was built in 1976,” said Town Manager Lynda Colby. “Kudos to previous council and administration, they had done everything they could with respect to asset rehabilitation. But now, unfortunately, there’s nothing else to do other than a completely new build. It’s at the end of its life.”
Back in the ’70s, this tower could hold around 250,000 gallons of water. It’s holding about 100,000 gallons now.
The limited capacity is a major barrier to Pickle Lake’s growth.
“We could have the opportunity of adding approximately 40 additional lots in the trailer loops, but until we get our water situation straightened out, we’re limited to expanding that way,” Colby said. “We’d like to do infrastructure expansion as well. We have surplus properties that are not service lots, and we’d like to service those.”
Colby said city staff will be lobbying government hard for the final $2.3 million, but there are some things the city can start to do now with these funds.
“We’ll start the process of land amalgamation near the existing water tower,” she said. “We have adjacent land that abuts to where the water tower currently sits, and we have a bunch of clearing to do.”
The $5.9 million also allows for a Transfer Payment Agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure, allowing critical pre-construction and design work to proceed.
“This funding is a major step forward for Pickle Lake,” said Mayor Dalzell. “An investment of nearly $6 million from the province recognizes both the urgency of our infrastructure needs and the importance of Pickle Lake as a northern service hub. This project is about protecting public health today while positioning our community for housing growth, workforce attraction, and long term economic development.”
Mayor Dalzell has been in conversation with Kenora MP Eric Melillo about securing the additional funding.
“Township staff are currently completing the required Initial Project Report and compliance attestations as part of the Ministry’s process to finalize the agreement. Once executed, the project will proceed to the design and engineering phase in accordance with provincial timelines, regulatory requirements, and Indigenous Duty to Consult obligations,” the Township of Pickle Lake said in a press release.
