Donalda reservoir and truckfill project on track for late summer tender

Proposed $4M reservoir to boost Donalda’s water pressure and improve local fire protection.

Donalda reservoir and truckfill project on track for late summer tender Published 3:29 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026 About a dozen people were in the Donalda Community Hall July 14 to review a proposed $4 million project for the community. Representatives from the Shirley McLellan Regional Water Services Commission and Stettler County were on hand to speak with community members about the Donalda Reservoir and Truckfill Project. The 500 cubic-metre water storage project is tentatively set to be placed on land adjacent to the Heartland Regional Fire Commission Station 3, at the edge of Donalda.

Andrew Brysiuk, the county’s director of municipal services, said the placement at the edge of the community will be a benefit, as agricultural producers needing to load water will not have to come all the way into town. The placement of the project in Donalda is also seen as a way to help ease the burden on the nearby Red Willow Truckfill, which is the county’s busiest. Donalda’s current water system was designed and built in the 1960s, and, according to presenters, the village’s water system falls below provincial pressure recommendations and provides limited water for firefighting.

The proposed project is designed to correct both those shortcomings. The project has been approved for funding through the Alberta Municipal Water, Wastewater Partnership, a grant providing 75 per cent of the funding for the estimated $3.9 million total bill. The Shirley McLellan Regional Water Services Commission will fund the remaining costs.

Of the total costs, the project team anticipates $3.25 million will be required for construction, $350,000 for engineering, $30,000 for geotechnical investigation and utility locates and $63,000 for contingency. According to Brysiuk, the hope is to have the project tendered by the end of summer, begin concrete work before winter sets in and complete the project within a year.