With addition of a new water treatment plant in Airdrie’s south west community of Windsong, the city can now accommodate adequate water for a population of 80,000 residents.

The facility cost $11 million, but the City of Airdrie engineering department is happy that the increased capacity generated by the new plant will serve the municipality for the next 12 to 16 years.

Three years ago, a line was brought up from Calgary to assist with Airdrie’s growth and increased demand.  At this time, city council had just approved annexation for more than 12,000 acres of land from the Municipal District of Rocky View.

The funding for this line and for the new Windsong plant came from levies assessed to land developers in Airdrie. Every new development, residential, commercial and industrial, has paid to serve the needs of Airdrie residents.

The budget for the Windsong plant was $12 million and to the delight of city council, it came in well under.

The new water treatment plant was built in accordance with the Airdrie City Plan, which is a statutory document that outlines how the city should be configured and serviced.  Since the document has projected the city’s population to hit 90,000 residents between 2027 and 2031, the new plant should stand Airdrie in good stead for up to 16 years.

The physical building in which the water treatment plan is housed was designed and built to blend into the community so that it wouldn’t detract from the esthetics of the community.  The residential area was brought into consideration, including future lots on the south side of the plant and lots interfacing with the building on the west side.  When imagining it integrating into the Windsong neighbourhood, every consideration was given to the height of the structure and the exterior cladding. 

This brings the number of water treatment plant in Airdrie to four.  The facilities are monitored 24 hours a day by staff on-site or remotely by computer from at least one of the locations.

About Windsong

The South West community of Windsong is west of 8 St SW and north of 40 Ave SW.  There are more than 1,000 families which have moved into this new community.

It is connected to adjacent communities with a pathway system, part of the 80 km pathway routes built by the City. From this neighbourhood, residents enjoy views of lush, green meadows and mountains to the west.  In fact, many homes in Windsong have been constructed with large windows to bring in natural light and the pastoral scenery.  Front porches and balconies encourage neighbourliness in Windsong.  

More amenities are coming to Windsong in the future.  Spaces have been reserved by the developer for schools in the future. In the meantime, elementary, middle schools, junior high and senior high schools are more accessible to students in Airdrie than in many areas of the big city to the south.  Schools in Airdrie come under the jurisdiction of Rocky View School District for public school students and the Calgary Catholic School Board for separate school students.