A hiccup in the ongoing plans for a regional Waste Water Treatment Plant may mean higher construction costs.

Preliminary tests suggest the soil conditions are not ideal for supporting the heavy water holding tanks.

"There's a huge amount of pressure, so you need a lot of piles," Winkler Mayor Martin Harder says, adding another option is to lower the structure to reduce loading requirements but would mean an additional lift station.

"We're looking at alternatives and the cost factors," Harder explains. "It could impact the final price."

Final estimates are expected in the next weeks Harder says, which will be needed for an application can be made for government funding.

The three-phase regional Waste Water Treatment Plant will serve Winkler, Morden and the R.M of Stanley.

While built in Winkler, the plant would eventually tie into Schanzenfeld and Reinfeld. Meanwhile, Morden will have a decentralized facility.

The funding model for the waste water facility leaves 25 percent of the $70 million cost split three ways between the City of Winkler, City of Morden and R.M of Stanley