City of Cranbrook council Nov. 2 approved a staff request for a $220,000 transfer from the lagoon de-sludging budget to help finish the city’s wastewater treatment upgrades.

The work is the final part of a multi-year project that began in 2019 with a successful $7.4 million grant application. Upgrades completed so far have extended the life and capacity of the sewage lagoons and improved treatment.

The remaining work includes two new sewage screeners and related electrical and mechanical equipment. The city currently relies on one aging screener, with no backup when it is out of service.

The new equipment will help the city meet its provincial operating permit requirements and is expected to cost less to operate than the current system.

Rising costs and supply chain challenges have put pressure on the project budget. City staff, working with consultant McElhanney and contractor Filtrum, reduced the proposed work from $2.3 million to $1.65 million while keeping the project’s main goals intact.

The contractor later updated its price to $1.724 million, excluding GST, after the time needed to secure funding.

The requested transfer would cover the remaining $48,992 funding gap and set aside $171,008 for unexpected costs. Any unused funds would return to the sewer program when the project wraps up. An extension of the grant deadline to the end of 2027 is being finalized, and the screeners need to be ordered promptly because delivery takes about six months.

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