Wheatland County supports changing water regulations

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

Alberta Health Services is proposing changes to the province’s drinking regulatory framework, and suggest that Wheatland County submit a letter to support the new standards of water measurable outcomes.
“I think it’s a matter of the Government of Alberta pushing for stronger drinking water and the county is a supporter of that and wanted to make sure that drinking water standards are current and maintained at a safe level for our residence to have the highest quality possible,” said Alan Parkin, Wheatland County Chief Administrative officer. “(Comparatively), bottled water has no regulations and you can put anything in there and sell it.”
Parkin added that the county’s budget does include high standards of drinking water for the area residences.
The situation that has been presented by the Alberta Government is that under the current system, Environmental and Sustainable Resource Development’s (ESRD) plans have been primarily prescriptive ones that have a one-size-fits all approach.
Therefore, the pressure rises on smaller systems that has an area population of 500 people that have to meet those requirements of the Potable Water Regulations in regards to a higher cost to operate the system.
However, to run a smaller system may be disadvantageous in one respect: a smaller system may be unable to adapt to new technologies.

 

Student Planner
Wheatland County administration is seeking $35,000 combined, funded through taxes, for a summer student planner and a fall co-op student for 2015. It was brought up to council because of the unsuccessful attempt by Planning and Development departments to secure funding for a planning intern for 2015.
Administration requested that the funding should instead go to a summer planning and fall co-op student. The student planner would be paid based on the Grid H5 scale.
Wheatland County is just waiting on the decision from the federal grant, which will assist in the subsidization of the summer planning student, and if it goes through, $3,060 of it will be allocated to the summer student position ($17,500), which will reduce costs as a result of the grant funding assistance.

 

Invoice from Strathmore Fire Department
This topic was brought up to Wheatland County Council to give the approval to not pay an invoice in the amount of $7,353 from the Strathmore Fire Department for putting out a vehicle fire on Feb. 23. The Town of Strathmore submitted an invoice of $850/hour for three fire apparatuses that were used for a total of two hours and 53 minutes
The invoice was a result of the Strathmore Fire Department responding to a rural call that involved a garbage truck being on fire and the rural fire department could not attend.

 

Office Repairs
As a result of one of the development officers being moved, the county will be installing a partition between the two office spaces to allow for smaller spaces for contracting consultants and provide an adequate amount of space for the remaining developing officer.

 

Cemetery Budget Revisions
Wheatland County was asked to revise the maintenance budget for cemeteries in the areas. The revision would include an additional $4,400 in operating costs for the Gleichen and Eventide cemeteries as well as Rosebud’s.
Also, the county was asked to provide additional funding of $2,400 through taxes, with the remainder coming from interest earned in the cemetery care fund.