A look at the project this summer. (Submitted/Peter Bergquist)

By Cam Lee

Humboldt wastewater bylaw

Humboldt council approves change to wastewater bylaw

Oct 29, 2024 | 2:13 PM

The City of Humboldt has passed an amendment to their Wastewater Treatment Facility Borrowing bylaw.

The approval was given at Monday night’s council meeting.

In June, council approved a bylaw to borrow up to $12 million for the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility and upgrades to two lift stations. The bylaw also outlined the borrowing terms, interest rate, and repayment schedule.

City Controller Jace Porten told northeastNOW why the amendment was necessary.

“When executing the agreement with the lending institution, it was identified that the terms that were laid out in the original bylaw were no longer an option to execute the agreement,” explained Porten. “We revisited with that lending institution, and it’s required an upgrade to the bylaw.

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Porten said the lagoon is at capacity for the current population of about 6,000 people, and the development of the new lagoon would serve up to 10,000 residents. Growth in the community is expected to continue, and BHP’s Jansen project opening would also bring more people to Humboldt.

“Having the capacity on the infrastructure to allow that growth is crucial for our city right now,” said Porten. He called the project one of the largest undertakings the city has done, and lending is something that is needed.

Porten said there is a chance the city could see some cost savings as part of the new bylaw. The interest rate is linked to the Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average, or CORRA. That means the city would be required to lock in the interest rate on 30- or 90-day terms.

“If interest rates continue to decline, having the rate renewed on those 30- or 90-day windows, it could actually be more cost effective over the life of construction for this project.”

Director of Public Works and Utilities Peter Bergquist previously told northeastNOW the hope is to have the project fully complete by the fall of 2025.

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK