Residents of Highgate will soon have cleaner water to drink.
A new, $4.2-million watermain will soon be transporting better ground water from Ridgetown.
Tim Sunderland, general manager of the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission, says the community of Highgate currently receives its water supply from a groundwater well system which is experiencing water quality concerns and operational constraints.
"Groundwater source will still be utilized for Ridgetown and Highgate. The groundwater source we have in Ridgetown is very good quality and quantity and that's why we're supplying it to Highgate," says Sunderland.
Residents of Highgate will soon have cleaner water to drink. Aug 10, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Municipality of Chatham-Kent)
A new underground water storage reservoir will also be located at 39 Main St W by the spring.
Sunderland says the new 9 km pipeline and reservoir will provide better water to accommodate growth in Highgate.
"Their well system in Highgate is not as good as the Ridgetown area and that's why we're shipping water from Ridgetown to Highgate to alleviate the pressure that those older wells in Highgate are experiencing," Sunderland says.
Sunderland says the current water quality in Highgate meets government standards but the wells are old and won't last much longer.
"We've already drilled the wells. This is just one component of that project, to put the pipeline into Highgate and then provide a 320 m3 reservoir that can supply the community of Highgate," Sunderland says.
