Additional funding has been approved for the Wellington Water and Wastewater projects.
During Prince Edward County Council’s Tuesday meeting, councillors discussed the projects and the multiple challenges they are facing.
Since work began, contractors have experienced several difficulties with the water main and sanitary pump station projects. Buried steel rails were discovered under Lane Creek during tunnel boring operations, which damaged the drill and caused delays. More groundwater also leaked into excavated areas than expected, requiring advanced dewatering solutions, additional permitting through the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry process, revised construction sequencing, and caused more delays. Rock conditions in the area also presented additional challenges, reducing the speed of tunnel boring.
Due to those problems, the projects are both expected to cost an additional $2.5 million. This pushes the combined total costs of the projects to $31.1 million. Part of the additional funding is set to come from surplus funds from the Picton Main Street phase of the water project, which came in $3,187,506 under budget. The rest will be financed as debt.
Ultimately, council voted to approve the additional funding to complete the project.
