Listening to ratepayers

Times Contributor

 

A ratepayer expressed concern about Encana storm pond water being applied onto a county road. 

There were concerns that the water contained hazardous material.

“Encana is aware of the problem,” said Dave Churchill, Transportation and Infrastructure Manager.” A miscommunication was given to the contracted truck operator. The water was supposed to be applied to a well site.”

Testing regarding possible hazardous chemicals in the water were being done.  Council asked that the results be forwarded to them.

 

Swedish Experiment

Wheatland County Public Works is experimenting with a new type of grader blade developed by a Swedish manufacturer.

A company representative gave staff teaching sessions on the use of blades, as the grading methods are very different from those used with regular grading blades.

“The blade looks somewhat like a crusher screen. It allows the material to flow through it. It is thinner than the regular blades yet stronger,” said Manager Gerry Van Oostwaard.

The cost is more expensive; however, the blades last three to four times longer.  The blades are supposed to be more effective on washboard roads. Rockyview County is already using the Swedish blades. Wheatland County purchased three blades and trials of the blade will take place in three divisions across the county.

 

Cost savings

Public works put creative thinking to use when they discovered Inland Aggregate was throwing away sanding chips left over from their mined out pit.

When mixed with sand filtered out from the County crushing pit, located next to Inlands pit, the resulting product produced a useable chip for area roads. It resulted in a 50 per cent cost saving for the material.

Councillors commended staff for their innovative thinking.

 

Dye Test

Council requested that staff draft a letter notifying Siksika Chief and Council about dye tests scheduled for the new Carseland sewage lagoon. 

Part of the test will affect 10 km of waterway located on the Siksika reserve.

In the past, Siksika residents had voiced concerns about effluent paths, so council felt as a good neighbour policy, notification should be given. 

Alberta Transportation has no requirement regarding notifications before testing. The tests are required prior to start-up of the new lagoon and decommissioning of the old emergency lagoon

Wheatland Regional Water Partnership

WRWP members accepted a decision to develop a governance model on tying into the east leg of the Calgary water pipeline. 

The model addresses: the cost of the pipeline, how many people would be using it, the amount of water needed and the delivery system. Included would be questions regarding the City of Calgary’s conditions for accessing the pipeline. There were some concerns about a possible excessive fee per acre parameters that levied for acreage owners. In addition, there were concerns about whether tie-ins would be mandatory for all rural residents along the line. Councillors agreed that discussions would be deferred until the City of Calgary returned the request, identifying conditions of acceptance.