Last week's public hearing for the Arnaud potable drinking water project has been approved.

A small group of residents attended the hearing last week with no objections to the new water system.

Emerson-Franklin CAO Tracey French shared some of the concerns that have come up.

"Over the years cost has been a major concern," explained French.  "To go 50 kilometres with a low number of service connections like 50 or 60, those service connections would have been $50,000.  With this funding they are looking at $17,500 at the most.  I think that cost was one of the big things and probably also to verify where the line is going and who is able to connect. Those plans will be finalized in the next week or two."

The Municipality of Emerson-Franklin will be receiving just over $2.6 million from the federal and provincial governments to install a new water system that will hook up to the Pembina Valley Water Co-op.

French noted the water line will come from the treatment plant in Morris and travel through the RM of Montcalm.

Meanwhile, the money is coming from Phase 1 of the new federal 10-year Investing in Canada plan.

French added they expect construction to begin this fall.

"The water services board is waiting for the municipal board to stamp the borrowing bi-law that we just did through the public hearing and then council get the reading to that at their September council meeting.  I am thinking that September or October the tenders will be out for the project and they may even be some shovels in the grounds yet late this fall and for sure throughout construction season next year."

The municipality is expecting the new water system to be installed before 2018.