Lethbridge city council, sitting as the Community Issues Committee, heard a proposal Tuesday for a $287-million expansion of the city’s water and wastewater capacity. The project would raise water treatment capacity to 180 million litres a day. Lethbridge is already at its current treatment limit, and several councillors are keen to advance the proposal.

The expansion could support as many as 22,000 new homes and open 4,000 hectares of land in southeast Lethbridge for future development. Mayor Blaine Hyggen said the added infrastructure would help the city grow and attract industrial and commercial businesses. “It’s going to give us the ability to expand our growth within our community. And it’s hard to be able to expand growth when it comes to industrial or any commercial-based businesses coming to the community without having the infrastructure in place,” he said.

Hyggen described the project as a regional priority, noting that neighbouring communities rely on Lethbridge for water. “It’s critical that we do this. And it’s not just critical for the community of Lethbridge, but it’s critical for all of southern Alberta. This is a regional approach. It’s something that we thought to be incredibly important,” he said.

City manager Lloyd Brierly said regional businesses and facilities can affect Lethbridge even when they are located elsewhere. “We’re not on an island here. So, when there’s things in the region, whether that’s greenhouses or large processing or production facilities or other things, those people still might live in Lethbridge, shop in Lethbridge, attend things in Lethbridge, go to restaurants,” he said.

The city aims to divide the project’s cost among three parties, with the provincial and federal governments as partners. Brierly said funding opportunities are significant because the city already needs water and wastewater infrastructure. “The federal and provincial dollars that are available don’t come along every day. So, opportunities like this when we already have a need, water and wastewater infrastructure, are significant. This is generational,” he said.

If approved, construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with completion expected by 2030.

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.