Infrastructure Projects, New Customers and Funding Announcements Top SaskWater's 2018-19 Highlights

SaskWater’s commitment to being a trusted service provider and partner led to another successful year for the Crown corporation in 2018-19.

SaskWater’s 2018-19 annual report, tabled today, highlights a year of financial successes, including earnings of $7.9 million, and demonstrates how the corporation aligns with the government’s vision for a strong and growing Saskatchewan.

“This year again, SaskWater has delivered innovative and effective water and wastewater solutions to its customers, grown its business, and invested in Saskatchewan’s health and prosperity,” Minister Responsible for SaskWater Bronwyn Eyre said. “SaskWater provides unmatched quality and expertise as it delivers its services in the province.”

Customer growth for SaskWater in 2018-19 included signing a service agreement with the Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood. Under the new agreement, SaskWater took on the commissioning duties for the RM’s newly-constructed water treatment plant, and the RM entrusted its ongoing operation and maintenance to SaskWater’s team of certified operators.

Major projects and infrastructure upgrades were also a priority to ensure the sustainability and safety of SaskWater’s water and wastewater systems in 2018-19. The construction of a new water treatment plant in Melville is nearing completion, and commissioning is expected by 2020. In addition, significant investment went into ongoing refurbishment of SaskWater pipelines and canals serving areas east of Saskatoon.

The 2018-19 year put SaskWater on excellent footing for ongoing success, as three projects were approved for funding through the New Building Canada Plan. The cost-sharing program will provide provincial and federal dollars toward an $8.47 million upgrade to Melfort’s regional water treatment plant, a $3.15 million sewage lagoon expansion in Pierceland, and the construction of a $12.2 million regional potable water supply system, east of Lloydminster.

Hot, dry weather conditions this past year caused increased demand for potable water from SaskWater’s customer communities. The corporation also saw a rise in demand from five of its seven operating potash mines. These factors, combined with population growth around the major cities that SaskWater serves, contributed to increased revenue for SaskWater in 2018-19.

SaskWater’s continued financial success is a reflection of its contributions to community development and a thriving Saskatchewan economy. The provincial Crown utility continues to supply safe, reliable and sustainable water and wastewater services in a fiscally responsible manner.

Other highlights of SaskWater’s activities in 2018-19 included:

• Delivering 47.7 billion litres of potable and non-potable water.
• Project-managing 32 initiatives in northern Saskatchewan on behalf of the Ministry of Government Relations and the Northern Municipal Trust Account, 14 of which are grant-funded.
• Investing $24.4 million into the Saskatchewan economy for capital projects, including new construction and expansion, infrastructure refurbishment and asset management programs, ensuring the ongoing delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable water and wastewater services.
• Paying a dividend of $3.7 million to the province.

SaskWater owns nine water treatment plants, three wastewater facilities, 140 kilometres of canal and 967 kilometres of pipeline.

SaskWater's annual report is available online at www.saskwater.com.

Backgrounder

• The Saskatchewan Water Corporation (SaskWater) is Saskatchewan’s commercial Crown water utility, helping communities, First Nations and industry gain access to safe, reliable and sustainable water and wastewater services.
• SaskWater provides professional water and wastewater services to 63 communities, 10 rural municipalities, 81 rural pipeline groups, 17 industrial and 242 commercial and domestic end user customers. SaskWater’s services directly and indirectly reach approximately 102,000 people in Saskatchewan.
• The corporation owns nine water treatment plants, three wastewater facilities, 15 km of wastewater forecemain, 140 kilometres of canal, and 967 kilometres of potable and non-potable pipeline. SaskWater also owns or leases 39 booster and pump stations. 
• SaskWater’s core lines of business are potable water supply, non-potable water supply, wastewater treatment and management, certified operation and maintenance, project management, water and wastewater training for First Nations communities, remote monitoring, and leak detection audits.
• In 2018-19, SaskWater:
  • Delivered 7.8 billion litres of high quality drinking water
  • Delivered 39.9 billion litres of non-potable water
  • Received and treated 1.0 billion litres of wastewater
• Partnering with TransGas (a subsidiary of SaskEnergy), SaskWater uses a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to remotely monitor 56 SaskWater and customer owned facilities across the province 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For more information, contact:          

Suzanne Boyer
Senior Corporate Communications Consultant
SaskWater
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-690-8790
Email: suzanne.boyer@saskwater.com