Construction to start on major Foothills-Okotoks water project

Work is starting up on a new pipeline that will send more water to Okotoks after decades of supply issues in the community south of Calgary. 

The Foothills Okotoks Regional Water Project will see water pumped from the confluence of the Bow and Highwood rivers to treatment facilities in both the town and Foothills County. 

Another water source will help Okotoks accommodate decades of population growth, according to Mayor Tanya Thorn.  

"It's an emotional day … we've had lots of twists and turns to get here," said Thorn at a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. 

"We've had many iterations of what this is going to look like, and I think I'm really grateful that where we've landed is the best one for this region."

Plans for the project, which include a new reservoir and pump station, evolved from a previous vision that would have seen a pipeline sending treated water from Calgary into the town. 

"I've been on council for 11 years and I think I've been talking about supplemental water source(s) for 11 years. And I know it was being talked about before that," said Thorn.  

Forty years of worrying about water

Sufficient access to water has been a concern in Okotoks since at least the 1980s, according to the town.  

The municipality set a population cap of 30,000 in 1998 because of water supply concerns, after the provincial government stopped issuing new water licenses for the Sheep River. 

Town council eventually lifted the population limit in 2012, but concerns over water supply have continued as Okotoks grows.

From 2019 to 2023, Okotoks' population climbed by about seven per cent, from 30,412 to 32,563, according to data from the province. 

Home prices higher because of water constraints, said mayor

Thorn said limited access to water has slowed residential development, driving up home prices. 

"Not being able to take more growth … has created a situation of affordability challenges for our community," said Thorn.

"Hopefully [this project is] going to result in costs being able to go down, because we're going to be able to manage building." 

From 2019 to 2023, the population in Foothills Country grew from 23,761 to 24,603. 

For the county, the project means future-proofing and helping out a neighbour, said Reeve Delilah Miller. 

"It wasn't as urgent a project as it was for Okotoks," she said. "We try to be good regional partners and this will help, I'm sure, cement that relationship … it's very important for the region."

Okotoks and Foothills County received about $30 million in provincial funding for the project through the Water For Life Grant program. 

Thorn said the federal government has also provided funding. 

Total eligible project costs are estimated at about $65 million, according to the town. 

The new water system is expected to be up and running by August of 2026.