Bradford is adding an extra splash of cash to prevent a reservoir project from going under water.
Based on a report from Tony Desroches, director of infrastructure services, council approved an additional $116,400 for engineering and consulting services for the expansion of the John Fennell Reservoir, during its Nov. 5 meeting.
That’s on top of the $1 million already included in the 2024 budget for that part of the project.
According to the report, the expansion is expected to be necessary in order to hold enough water to service the town’s population growth to 2051, based on the 2020 Bradford water and wastewater servicing criteria report.
Desroches explained the request for proposal for engineering and consulting services — including design and construction supervision — received two proposals before closing in September with the preferred proposal coming in higher than expected.
While the winning bidder can’t be revealed until the after the contract is awarded, bids were received from Ainley & Associates and R.J. Burnside & Associates.
The additional funding won’t impact the tax levy as Desroches said it will come from the water development charges account, the same as the initial $1 million as the project is growth related.
Following design work, a tender for construction is anticipated to follow in 2026.
The town has currently budgeted $10 million for the expansion, but Desroches explained that work and the preliminary engineering and design work are budgeted as two different items, meaning funding for each is handled separately and he isn’t able to pull from one to fund the other.
In June, council directed staff to begin conversations with the Town of Innisfil and their municipally-owned water utility, InnServices, to preserve and expand the “critical” water supply for Bradford.
In 2023, Bradford’s municipal wells extracted 1,449,179 cubic metres of groundwater from the Bradford Aquifer to account for about 40 per cent of the total used, while another 2,197,087 cubic metres — or about 60 per cent — was supplied by InnServices from the Innisfil Lake Simcoe Water Filtration Plant, according to a report from Samantha MacKenzie, manager of compliance, earlier this year.
