Construction of new Wellington water tower under way

Artistic rendering of the new tank at Belleville Street looking north

Construction of the new water tower in Wellington has begun at the northeast corner of the Belleville Street and First Avenue intersection.

Construction is tentatively scheduled for completion in the spring of 2023. The new elevated water tank is expected to provide the recommended pressures for the existing system, and for the planned future developments over the next 20 years.

It is one of several infrastructure upgrades identified in the Wellington master servicing plan the County completed in 2021. With increased residential and commercial growth projected in Wellington over the next five years, the plan identified, evaluated and prioritized infrastructure upgrades for water, wastewater and stormwater management services.

The estimated cost of water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to support projected growth in Wellington over the next 20 years is $68 million, with $52 million to be funded by developers via development charges. The remaining $16 million is identified as benefiting existing customers and will be debt serviced over a 30-year term.

The costs to service that $16-million debt (interest payments) will be recovered through water and wastewater rates. The cost to service the $52 million debt will be funded through the upfront payment of development charges. In return for pre-paying a portion of the development charges, the two developers receive the certainty that they can connect their developments to municipal water and wastewater services when the services are available.