The South Pigeon Lake Wastewater Collection System tender process did not run as smoothly as hoped, and due to budget constraints County of Wetaskiwin council has rejected all tender bids for Contract 1.
The unanimous decision came during council’s Dec. 20 meeting.
“We received four total bids,” said Jeff Chipley, research officer.
“In looking at the low bid … We noticed the cost estimates are above budget,” he added.
The low bid came from Urban Dirtworks, a Sylvan Lake business, at $3.89 million.
The county is re-tendering and in doing so is allowing the project to be sectioned; this allows work in some sections to move ahead if other sections once again come in over budget.
The first tender process, once it came in over budget, posed an issue for the areas of Viola and Norris Beach, as their budgets could not handle the proposed costs.
“Unfortunately this tender was all in, there was no deletable items,” said CAO Frank Coutney.
County administration will work with MPE Engineering Ltd. to develop a modified tender for release in early 2017.
Wastewater collection and treatment has been a sensitive issue surrounding Pigeon Lake for decades. Algae blooms in the lake, which can have serious effects on recreation in the water, have been blamed on certain organic nutrients, including gray water, seeping into the lake from various sources.