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Car show to raise money for Plunkett water system

PLUNKETT — Plunkett will be hosting clean cars for clear water. The village is putting on a vehicle show and shine at their community center on June 15 to raise money for a new water system.
Plunkett Community Centre
Submitted photo by Google

PLUNKETT — Plunkett will be hosting clean cars for clear water.

The village is putting on a vehicle show and shine at their community center on June 15 to raise money for a new water system.

Since May 2017, Plunkett has consistently been on a boil water advisory under Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency. The advisory was lifted in mid-April following a great deal of work to better treat the water, said Ron Podbielski, communications manager with the Water Security Agency.

Given persistent issues with turbidity, “they probably need to look at some long term upgrades to their water treatment system,” he said.

“Our current [water] system is so out of date, we can’t update it,” said Richard Hayes, Plunkett’s mayor. “We have to go new.”

To that end, the Village of Plunkett hopes to fundraise approximately $33,000 to match grants from the provincial and federal government. The funds will pay for a reverse osmosis water treatment plant “in the neighbourhood of $100,000,” Hayes said. Reverse osmosis essentially strains water of pollutants through a microscopic filter.  

Federal funding for the new water system only became available with the release of their 2019 budget in March, Hayes said, while the provincial government has been ready with funding for about a year and a half.

During their months under boil water advisory, the people of Plunkett have been “really good in coping with it,” Hayes said. Government support “just took a long time coming, that’s all.”

The village has already had “quite a few donations come in” from area business. During June’s show and shine, they are hoping to raise money from concession revenue.

Yet Hayes said it will take more fundraising to raise the money needed.

“Start small, and hopefully it will grow.”

The show and shine will include vehicle awards such as furthest travelled and people choice, as well as activities for kids.

The Plunkett Rust and Chrome show and shine will be held at the Plunkett Community Centre on June 15. Registration starts at 10 am and viewing goes from 11am to 4 pm. The dance advertised previously on the event poster has been cancelled.