Infrastructure Master Plan | Town of Coaldale

The Town of Coaldale’s Infrastructure Master Plan (IMP) is a strategic document focused entirely on the current status of the Town’s potable water, stormwater, sanitary sewer, and streets and roads, and when different parts of these systems may need to be replaced, upgraded, and/or extended.

The IMP is key to the effective management of the Town’s infrastructure, and this IMP represents the first comprehensive plan for Coaldale. The IMP, along with other major strategic documents such as the Transportation Master Plan, Town Plan, and once completed, the Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP), ensure Town Council and administration have a suite of comprehensive resources that will inform decision making now and into the future.

IMP Highlights

According to the Town's Infrastructure Master Plan (IMP) that was completed by MPE Engineering, "the Town's infrastructure is in relatively good condition and provides a suitable level of service for the community. Based on the projected population for the Town and the cumulative estimated total cost of the recommended upgrades, the Town's estimated per capita expenditure rate over the next 20 years is below average compared to other municipalities in Southern Alberta for which MPE has prepared similar planning studies" (p. 11).

The table below provides a high-level overview of the projects recommended in the IMP that are completed, in progress, or will be budgeted and planned for within the next 5 years. The remaining projects will be updated in the table annually to reflect the progress made within the IMP recommendations but at this time it is premature to provide specific funding allocation information for projects beyond a 5-year horizon without also:

1) considering the budget holistically;

2) seeking cost-saving or funding opportunities such as grants or combining certain elements of different projects; and

3) exploring options to extend the life of Town assets.

The funding strategies for the remaining projects will be part of the Town’s ongoing Asset Management Plan that will continue to be developed and refined on an annual basis. For project budgets that are not yet posted on the Town’s budget platform, Questica, the general funding source for approved projects can be found on page 86 of the Town’s 2021 Budget. Detailed information about each project can be found within the Town's Infrastructure Master Plan.

The capital projects identified in the IMP are recommended to be completed over certain periods of time. For instance, the wastewater (WW), potable water (PW) and stormwater (SW) projects are prioritized based on 0-5 and 5-10 year timelines, and transportation projects are based on a 0-10 year and 10-20 year timelines. The time periods chosen to organize the projects are based on two considerations:

1. How soon each project needs to be completed.

For potable water, stormwater and wastewater projects, the most critical needs are prioritized further in the IMP by ranking each one in the 0-5 year timeline. This does not mean catastrophic failure is imminent for each project in this list, but rather that these projects should be prioritized from a funding and completion perspective. Generally, a project schedule is based on risk which is a function of the probability and severity of events that may occur.

For transportation projects, 0-10 year, and 10-20 year timelines were selected based on the same logic.

2. The likelihood of funding availability over time.

It is not possible to budget for and complete every project in the IMP in the next one, five, or ten years. This is the same situation in essentially all municipalities. Instead, capital projects are prioritized in part based on the likelihood of funding being available over time. The funding matrix shown below provides an overview of where funding is coming from for the majority of projects identified in the IMP.

Key takeaways:
- The majority of priority projects for potable water (PW), wastewater (WW) and stormwater (SW) have either been completed, are being tendered, or are being designed in preparation for tender.
- The Town is embarking on an asset management (AM) process, which has been funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) through the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP) to assist us in asset management training, development and implementation. This program will ensure the best dollars are spent on capital projects identified in the IMP. For instance, transportation projects can be paired with PW, WW and SW projects to ensure roads that need replacing are replaced when water infrastructure is being worked on at the same time.

Wastewater (WW), Potable Water (PW) & Stormwater (SW) Upgrades

Year	Project	Status	Budget	Funding Strategy	Timing/Trigger event
0 to 5	Main Street Upgrades	Complete	Questica
0 to 5	West Coaldale Main Trunk – Phase 1	Not started		Proceeds from sale of the residual acres around the Joint School & Rec Centre project	Once the residual acres around the Joint School & Rec Centre are sold and the plans for development are approved, the West Coaldale Trunk Main - the sanitary line and street (16th ave) - will be replaced
0 to 5	Lift Station Trash Rack Upgrade	Completed	Questica
0 to 5	30th Avenue Elm Dr to 17th Street 375 mm Upgrade	Not started		Offsite levies	Additional growth south of Cottonwood Drive will trigger the need for this upgrade
0 to 5	20th Avenue / 11th Street 450 mm Upgrade	Not started		Infrastructure reserve	Infrastructure is monitored and assessed on an ongoing basis via the Town's CCTV program and sewer modeling which will ultimately determine the timing of the project
0 to 5	23rd Avenue 13th Street to 17th Street 375 mm Upgrade	Not started		Infrastructure reserve	Infrastructure is monitored and assessed on an ongoing basis via the Town's CCTV program and sewer modeling which will ultimately determine the timing of the project
0 to 5	Lift Station Pumping, Electrical, and Mechanical Upgrades	Not started	Questica	Provincial grant dollars	Tendered
0 to 5	Wastewater Treatment Upgrades	Ongoing	Questica	Provincial grant dollars, infrastructure reserves, debenture financing	Tendered
0 to 5	Pressure Sustaining and Metering Station Structural Remedial Work	Not started		Infrastructure reserve	The structural condition of the building is monitored and assessed on an ongoing basis which will ultimately determine the timing of the project
0 to 5	New Pump Station and Reservoir	Not started		Offsite levies	As additional growth in the newly annexed section of town takes place, the need for additional clearwater storage will be required. In this instance, the idea is that growth will pay for growth.
0 to 5	Coaldale Reservoir Utilization (Malloy Phase 2B)	Budgeted for 2022-2023	Questica	ARCP grant dollars, federal grant dollars, Lethbridge County, SMRID, Town of Coaldale infrastructure reserve	Scheduled for 2022 construction
5 to 10	Pump Station Pump Upgrades	Ongoing			The Town is executing a deliberate phasing strategy to replace the pumps to ensure that they do not require replacing at the same time in the future