MOOSE JAW — The City of Moose Jaw is advising residents that a new storm water utility will come into effect on Tuesday, July 1.
, the new utility will be .
"The intent of any utility is that it will be self-funding. The storm water utility is no exception, and the charges are expected to provide cost recovery for the services provided," the city's website says. "Periodic updates of storm water charges will be requested in future years to address increased costs."
The utility was established to address and replace deteriorating storm water infrastructure — "due to historically minimal investment in maintenance and rehabilitation," the website says — and to accommodate future capacity needs due to new growth in Moose Jaw.
Previously, the City of Moose Jaw had designated budget resources for both the capital and operational expenses related to storm water infrastructure from the already limited capital and operating budgets.
The city’s current storm water infrastructure — which has a replacement value of more than $210 million — consists of:
- 79,800 metres of sewer pipes
- 1,950 catch basins
- 1,250 catch basins
- 65 outfalls
- 77 large-diameter culverts
- 20,000 metres of open channels
- 450 metres of serpentine in Crescent Park
- Over 1,000 metres of large-diameter culverts, seven kilometres of open channels and critical road crossings in Spring Creek
Residents will begin to see the new charge on their next utility bill after July 1. Meanwhile, in 2026, the operating charges related to storm water maintenance will be removed from the operating budget and become part of the storm water utility.
For more information, visit the .
