Saskatchewan’s crown-owned water agency has posted a surplus of $3 million in 2012, according to its annual report.
The money will help SaskWater invest in new and upgrade existing facilities, said the report.
SaskWater signed agreements with two potash mines during the year: BHP Billiton and K+S Legacy Project.
K+S, near Bethune, is a solution mine and needs non-potable water to extract the mineral. A new pump station on the north shore of Buffalo Pound Lake and six kilometres of pipeline were constructed to supply the water. A spur dike with screens was also built to prevent fish from entering the system. SaskWater also supplies potable water to the mine.
BHP Billiton’s project near Jansen is a conventional mine that requires a pump station, 94 kilometres of pipeline and a booster station to get water from the Zelma reservoir. The system is expected to be built by 2015.
Meanwhile, SaskWater completed construction of new water treatment plants in Cupar and Gravelbourg and added the village of Hepburn and One Arrow First Nation as customers.
