Iqaluit (Mar 01/04) - The price tag on the City of Iqaluit water treatment plant keeps going up.

City council has approved Earth Tech, an Edmonton-based engineering firm, to redesign the plant and oversee the construction phase at a cost of $712,900.

The city's portion of the bill will be $119,677, with the balance coming from the Government of Nunavut.

The city has already spent close to $7 million constructing the sewage treatment plant and it has yet to be operational. The construction and expansion of the plant is estimated to cost another $5.5 million.

Brad Sokach, director of engineering, said getting the plant running is a high priority for the councillors. The work was scheduled for 2007 but they pushed it forward.

Coun. Nancy Gillis, chair of the planning and engineering committee, said it's something that needs to be done.

"The problems with the plant need to be fixed," she said. "We just can't close our eyes and pretend everything is OK."

The plant as it exists now would be very expensive to operate -- about $1 million per year. Gillis said they learned from the first experience and will be sure the firm they hired does the work properly.