The County of Stettler is moving forward with a plan to reactivate the Red Willow Lagoon, to help restore a disposal option for regional hauled wastewater.
During its Oct. 14 meeting, council voted to approve the administration’s recommended reactivation strategy.
The decision greenlights the tender and construction of a new discharge pipeline to Red Willow Creek, and the installation of a metered wastewater receiving system.
The facility has been out of service since November 2021, when an attempted release caused downstream flooding on private property.
Because the site sat idle, council heard that contaminant concentrations rose, leaving the lagoon unable to meet provincial quality standards.
To break the stalemate, the County retained Stantec Consulting to design a piped outlet within the road right-of-way to Red Willow Creek.
That outlet has since secured necessary amendments under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act along with federal Fisheries and Oceans approval.
According to Stantec’s design analysis, the lagoon could receive approximately 68,700 cubic metres of hauled wastewater annually from surrounding summer villages, and campgrounds.
That volume translates to roughly 9,040 truck trips per year, or about 25 truckloads daily.
Actual demand and flow rates will become clear once the facility resumes active operations and monitoring.
Utilities staff plan to use the receiving station to track incoming volumes against storage limits, to be able to redirect truck traffic to Erskine if capacity thresholds are approached.
The total cost to construct the new discharge pipe is estimated at $1.09 million, offset by a $624,473 provincial grant, leaving a net municipal cost of $472,633.
An estimated $150,000 will also be invested to establish the metered receiving station.
During discussions, members debated how best to recover operating costs from regional partners and users.
Councillors raised questions regarding whether to implement water meters, adopt annual flat fees, or install a site scale similar to those used for gravel pits.
Council directed administration to consult area municipal partners on whether they prefer an annual fee or a metered rate.
Cost-recovery calculations suggest a break-even unit rate of $2.96 per cubic metre, but officials recommended setting an initial market rate of $5.00 per cubic metre.
The County will host a public open house, issue the discharge pipeline tender, and establish wastewater tracking procedures before reopening the facility to haulers.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
