Gateway residents' get new water system

Courtesy of the Rush/Wolf:

Residents of Gateway, a south Cariboo community will have a new water system come the Fall of 2014.

The Cariboo Regional District announced the development recently and it will cost a total of $750,000. Area H Director Margo Wagner says one-third of that the 25 homeowners will pay and amortized over 30 years.

Where will the other two-thirds come from? Wagner explains, "The province had kicked in the $125,000 so the CRD took another $125,000 out of the gas tax fund they received from the provincial government for infrastructure projects and added it to the $250,000 they'd already approved to bring the total up to $750,000."

Wagner says residents who decide not to hook on to the new system right away will not get a discount.

"Anybody who signs on to the water system in two or three years time will end up paying exactly the same as the people did initially. It's retroactive."

The current system is being replaced mostly because it is over 50 years old and doesn't live up to current health standards. Also a factor is that the owner of the land which the current system is on wants to sell. Wagner says he is co-operating with the CRD to not sell until the new system is in place so residents aren't strapped for over a year before project completion.