After years of planning and development, Rocky’s new $30 million waste water treatment plant is expected to come online June 1, 2026.
Currently, the plant is in the pre-startup stage with electrical completion, construction wrap up, pressure checks, and individual testing of each instrument.
Once the plant is online, town officials say there should be no noticeable impact to residents’ wastewater services. The only difference will be to vac trucks — or “honey wagons” — delivering to the septage receiving station, which will be connected to the new plant.
Even with the new plant online, the three existing lagoons will remain in place.
“The sewage is going to be treated at a much higher degree than it is in the current lagoon,” explains Laura Button, communications coordinator with the town of Rocky Mountain House, who says the three ponds will serve as the outflow from the plant before treated water heads back to the river.
The plant is designed to service a population of about 9,300, allowing for future growth in Rocky Mountain House.
Once operational, the plant is expected to cost an additional $1 million per year to operate, which has resulted in higher utility rates.
As part of Budget 2026, residents will see their utility bill increase slightly, with the average monthly rate estimated at $152, which officials say is still lower than an average of $164 for comparable communities.
Rocky Mountain House’s waste water treatment plant under construction in 2024. (Town of Rocky Mountain House)
The need for the plant became necessary following new environmental regulations calling for mechanical sewage treatment, says Button.
To assist with the $30 million project, the town received around $2.7 million in financial assistance from Clearwater County. The town was also awarded a number of grants in 2020, including over $10 million from the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), and $9 million from the Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership Program.
In 2025, to help cover cost overruns for the project, the town again received over $2.6 million from the provincial Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership Program.
Rocky Mountain House taxpayers will fund approximately $7.5 million to be drawn largely from reserves and debenture.
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