Cost of Regina wastewater plant comes in $6M less than expected

The final bill for Regina's upgradedwastewatertreatment plant has come in lower than expected.

On Monday, the city said the project now has a capital cost of $175 million $6 million less than was previously forecast.

The facility on the western edge of the city is "substantially complete,"the city says. That means the new process systems are now in serviceand only some landscaping and "aesthetic" improvements are left to be done.

The plant is designed to handle higher volumes of sewage and meet toughergovernment water-quality guidelines that go into effect on Jan. 1.

The public-private partnership aspect of the project was controversial when it was proposed earlier in the decade, but it went ahead after a referendum aimed at blocking the P3 failed to get enough voter support.

Epcor has the contract to operate the plant over the next 30 years.