Regional storm water management approach

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

Proportional contributions required for infrastructure on a regional approach to resolve storm water issues left town council with questions and unwilling to make a decision regarding the allocation of operational funds until more information is brought forth during the Fall budget meeting.
Council was introduced to three systems on Oct. 7, when representatives from the Western Irrigation District (WID) and Alberta WaterSmart updated the local officials on the process of the Cooperative Storm Water Management Initiative (CSMI). With the current phase of the initiative now completed, the infrastructure necessary is based on forecasted new development areas within the municipalities over the next 25 years.
As Strathmore is one of five municipalities involved in the project, the three regional storm water system proposals, which were based on the technical water balance results, were substantially weighted to an urban growth area as compared to a rural growth area. As a result, farmland within Wheatland County contains limited developable area and therefore leaves Strathmore dealing with a larger monetary contribution as was observed in system 2.
“This is such a huge issue and it’s mind boggling,” said Councillor Denise Peterson. “My understanding is that we might be paying considerably more than our share just based on use of water in and out versus the amount of storm water that’s produced.”
Upon completion of the Technical Water Balance and Governance Structure analysis, System 1 recommended that Rockyview County, Calgary, Chestermere, and Wheatland County absorb the costs of an estimated infrastructure price tag of $86.1 million where storm water flows through Weed Lake, Hartell Coullee, and Serviceberry Creek at no financial burden to Strathmore.
System 2 includes, for Wheatland County and Strathmore storm water to flow to Serviceberry Creek but requires Strathmore to pay for 90 per cent.
System 3, on the other hand, would have the storm water from those two municipalities flow into Eagle Lake – an option that would have Strathmore absorb 100 per cent of the cost, requires a lot of work on existing issues, was the least developed in terms of technical work, and a solution which would prove difficult. The estimated infrastructure costs for System 2 and System 3 were $4.7 million over 25 years.
According to Gord Elenko, director of engineering for the Town of Strathmore, the costs were included in the revised 2015 Off-Site Levies bylaw, with costs estimated from the delivery points at the municipal boundaries, and do not include infrastructure or costs required within the municipal boundaries, or ongoing operating costs of CSMI work.
While Elenko was unable to provide a dollar amount for operational costs –which is dependent on the type of infrastructure – he assured council that the town will be able to recoup 100 per cent of the $4.7 million through off-site levies.
“CSMI is 100 per cent based on our growth estimate for the developable land that we put in for acreage and that’s how we calculated the levy,” said Elenko. “The CSMI project is intended outside of the boundaries of the town, so there still will be storm water infrastructure costs within the town boundaries and we also have accounted for those within the levy bylaw.”
The regional approach, which was initiated by the WID in 2011, launched the CSMI project in 2012. The completed technical water balance study and potential Governance proposals valued at $258,270 was covered by funding from the five municipalities – Strathmore, Calgary, Chestermere, Rockyview County and Wheatland County – WID, and the Calgary Regional Partnership. However, council approved the payment of an outstanding balance of $15,191 that each partner will be invoiced in the fall.
Council also approved the recommendation to participate with WID in continued discussions on storm water management in alignment with Option 2, which suggests the partners work collaboratively, but may work individually with the WID on solutions specific to Strathmore.
However, when Council was asked to agree in principle to allocate funding for CSMI, with funding limited to no more than $10,000 a year, and a $100,000 boost in 2016 for a storm water engineering design, while referring the decision to allocate operating and capital project funding for the next three years to the Fall budget workshop for final approval, some councillors took issue with the request.
Councillor Bob Sobol didn’t agree with voting on a dollar amount in principle when council can change their mind at the time a decision is required, while Councillor Peterson also disagreed with the motion, arguing a lack of information and possible new legislation in the future.
“I have a great deal of problems approving things into the future even if it’s near future, where I don’t have the whole picture in front of me and where I can’t possibly know how new legislation is going to impact it because there is new legislation coming,” said Peterson. “I think … it’s really clear this council is committed to this project and we look forward to hearing more from you in terms of the planning and in terms of the overall budget, and I think that WID can rest assured that we are in for the long haul.”
After the presentation by WID’s General Manager Erwin Braun, council also discussed water quality, the importance of the partnership, and provincial government funding.
In the end, council moved to refer the decision to allocate operating capital funding for the next three years regarding CSMI funding to the Fall budget workshop and to be brought before open council.