With the majority of design work completed and a large portion of contractor procurement underway, the City of Cranbrook’s 2026 Capital Works program is starting to take shape.

City council Monday night received details from staff around some of the key projects for the upcoming construction season.

UV Disinfection Facility

On Monday night (March 9), council approved an additional $5.43 million in funding from several municipal funding sources including the Capital Water Fund, Community Works Funding, the Community Works Gas Tax Reserve, the Sanitary Sewer Capital Reserve, and a portion of the 2026 Capital Works Roads Program.

The UV Disinfection Facility will modernize how the city treats drinking water by adding ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to the treatment process, alongside a new sodium hypochlorite system.

Together, these upgrades create a dual-barrier treatment system that improves water quality, enhances safety for both the public and operators, and ensures the city continues to meet provincial drinking water standards.

This project is an important investment in the long-term reliability of Cranbrook’s water system. The new facility is being designed to meet the needs of today while supporting growth well into the future, with infrastructure able to accommodate projected growth over the next 75 years.

It will also help the city maintain its current treatment approach and defer the need for a much more expensive filtration treatment plant, which could cost in the range of $100+ million to build and would add significant ongoing operating costs.

The project is made possible in large part thanks to funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), with the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia contributing a combined $12.5 million toward the Water System Improvements Project. The City of Cranbrook is grateful for this support.

Balment Park Sanitary Trunkmain Replacement

This project continues the Victoria Avenue trunk main replacement, picking up where work finished in 2025 and extending to the base of the Balment stairs at 1st Street South near the Street Angels building.

It is part of the city’s ongoing investment in upgrading the sanitary sewer trunk main to handle current demand and future growth. Replacing this section will also support several major developments underway or planned in the area, including Creekside Townhomes, the FW Green home expansion, and the proposed Rotary Seniors housing project.

Funding for this work comes from the 2026 Capital Works Sanitary Sewer budget and Sanitary Sewer DCC funding. The Request for Proposal process closed on March 5, and submissions are now being reviewed.

2026 Paving Program

A variety of roads will be resurfaced based on age, condition, and the state of the infrastructure in the ground. Staff is busy reviewing what damage has occurred over the winter months and spring thaw. Once evaluated with our asset management tools, roads will be selected for resurfacing with the paving program to be designed and administered completely in house by city staff.

PRV #4 Upgrades (27th Ave. S and 7th St. S)

Internal piping and valves of this Pressure Reducing Station (PRV) have reached the end of their useful service life and need replacing. Instrumentation, valves, and piping will be replaced resetting the service life of the building. Valving inside the building will be increased in size to allow for better fire flow in the area and to meet the current growth needs of the city.

Some residents will experience minor shutdowns during this work, but will be notified in advance.

Sanitary Sewer Lagoons Screener Upgrades/Replacement

This project marks the final phase of upgrades at the lagoons, funded through a grant from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). The remaining baffle curtains will be installed in ponds 2 and 3, and a new dual-channel screener will be added to the headworks building. The upgraded screener will operate more efficiently and provide built-in backup to improve system reliability.

The project also includes onsite backup power and improved waste collection. Together, these upgrades will create a more efficient system and a safer working environment for staff. A Request for Proposals is currently posted on BCBid.

As these projects get closer to getting started, the public can follow along and get regular project updates online.

City of Cranbrook

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