Try a different perspective

Times Contributor   

 

Sustainable Resources Ltd. spokesman pitched their wastewater reclamation/purification system as an economic diversification plan for Wheatland County in council chambers on June 17. 

The group were not strangers to council, as they had given a presentation in 2013 on how the wastewater eco-treatment system worked. 

“This is not a new issue. It continues to plague municipalities,” said Elizabeth Hubble. “Growth, aging infrastructure, water supply constraints, climate change and closed licensing have all increased the need for solutions. There is never enough money and no one wants to see the costs passed onto ratepayers.”

They proposed several of their smaller treatment systems installed around the county may be an alternative to one larger plant and solve some of the problems aging infrastructure has given the county in the past. 

She asked that council look at the issue of waste water as a way to create economic development.

“Flip this on its head and look at it in a different way,” said Hubble.

The group looked at the Muirfield development and said the wastewater there could be treated by their plant and supplement the needs of Cattleland feedlot Bio Cluster plant. Similarly the new housing projects in Rosebud could utilize such a system and at the same time supply nutrients for a Rosebud greenhouse project; and possibly future agriculture, or industrial uses could be developed around Gleichen and the Wheatland Industrial complex. 

The impediment of cost, delays in Alberta regulation processes for the smaller plants, the ability to deal with population growth and integration into existing infrastructure were brought up as problems to be addressed. The group said partnerships could be formed to overcome some of the barriers and they were meeting with other municipalities who were interested in the systems application for agricultural purposes.