The city is moving forward with a plan to build a new freshwater treatment facility at an estimated cost of $60 million.

City council is being asked to direct administration to begin the process of procuring the preliminary and detailed design of the Selkirk Pump House Multi-Barrier Treatment project.

Council is scheduled to vote on the request at next Monday’s meeting.

The matter was before council at the past Monday’s meeting.

The administrative report prepared for council says the city has extracted 100 per cent of its drinking water from the Selkirk aquifer through seven production wells since 2010.

The water is treated through chlorination before it’s distributed to residents, in what can be classified as a single-barrier treatment method.

The city, however, has noted changes in the groundwater chemistry and quality in the aquifer water, including higher pH levels making chlorination less efficient, says the administrative report.

There have also been higher concentrations of iron and manganese, resulting in coloured water at the taps.

There are indications that at least two of the wells my be considered groundwater under the direct influence of surface water.

The report notes the city has taken steps to aid in the protection against surface water influence, says the report.

“As a result of the monitoring and in accordance with the requirements under the Drinking Water Regulations, administration has completed a pre-design report to identify the optimal treatment system required to meet the most current drinking water regulations and overall treatment objectives.”

The report says the recommendation from the pre-design report was for the design and construction of a multi-barrier treatment system at the existing Selkirk Pump House.

Although it’s expected that the expertise to perform the work would be located in engineering consulting offices outside the Yukon, the report notes, the procurement of the project would provide points for firms with a local office.

It’s expected the tender for the design work will be issued next month, with the signing of a contract in August.

Completion of the design work is scheduled for December 2024.

“The deterioration of the aquifer could continue over the following years due to climate change and/or over-exploitation,” says the report.

“The risk of not proceeding with the project could translate to the inability of the city to provide safe and quality drinking water to its population. Boiling water advisories could become prevalent.”

The administrative report says trying to implement a rushed solution would be costlier and more challenging that implementing a proactive solution.

It will cost approximately $2 million annually to operate the new system, the report says.