Town moves forward with storm water management solution

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Town council approved the Cooperative Storm Water Management Initiative (CSMI) agreement on Nov. 15, paving the way for future discussions, detailed agreements, and solutions for the disposal of storm water from Strathmore’s annexed lands.
The document seeks to address storm water in new annexed lands that were added since 2007, along with a $6 million cost over 20 to 25 years.
Storm water management is a swelling concern among southern Alberta municipalities. Previously, the town had entered into a discharge agreement with the Western Irrigation District (WID) for the original pre-annexation lands, but the contract doesn’t stretch to include recently annexed lands where Strathmore has yet to complete a storm water management agreement.
As a result, CSMI, together with six partners – the City of Calgary, Rocky View County, the Town of Strathmore, the City of Chestermere, the WID and Wheatland County – partnered with project consultants and project observers in 2012 for the development of a practical storm water management system that would further allow for regional development and growth.
While town administration had brought the issue to council on Nov. 1 for discussion, council had questions concerning the voting structure, reusing storm water and benefits, as well as borrowing funds from the cooperation versus WID.
Mark Ruault, Town of Strathmore’s director of infrastructure and development services, addressed the issue before council on Nov. 15 with clarifications.
“The CSMI was formed many years ago to cooperate with our regional partners and the WID to come up with solution to storm water, specifically around the Town of Strathmore’s annexed lands,” said Ruault, who added that this is where the storm water currently is being evaporated.
“I’m bringing forward a framework and the overall arching agreement for us to enter into a future detailed agreement related to specific development of our network to collect and dispose of our storm water from our town annexed lands.”
Ruault noted that each member will appoint a director to the CSMI board of directors where details of the voting structure would be included in the corporation and established in a unanimous agreement. Council was also informed that under Alberta’s Water Act, storm water can be used in limited ways, and the municipality may reuse the storm water before it enters into the CSMI system.
Ruault also addressed the concern of borrowing from the co-operation versus the WID, where councillors were told that funds may be borrowed from the co-operation, but as WID owns most of the assets used for the CSMI, borrowing against them can occur – however the CSMI corporation would have limited borrowing power.
The draft agreement, which was established in 2015, was revised by the partners throughout the summer. The $6 million investment would require funds from offsite levy collection and grant funding.
The agreement was approved previously by Wheatland County, Rocky View County and the City of Chestermere.
The agreement was also presented to the WID board on Nov. 1, while Calgary will review it in January 2018.
Council voted unanimously to approve the CSMI Master Storm Water Agreement and to authorize administration to sign the agreement on Nov. 15.