County to seek new waste transfer station location

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After having received significant backlash from the local community, Wheatland County council is looking for a new location to establish a waste transfer station near the Hamlet of Lyalta.

Council previously directed administration to proceed with the redesignation of county-owned lands currently being utilized as a gravel stockpile site.

Adjacent landowners objected to the redesignation, citing risk of contamination, and deterioration of land value should it be used for waste management instead of accommodating future growth.

“It is a difficult area because there are a few large landowners that hold the majority of the lands, but it is still worth pursuing because of the operational pressures we have at Wheatland West,” said Cody Zimmerman, manager of operations for Wheatland County.

“The hamlet itself provides their own garbage collection services currently, but they are not required to, and if they ever chose to stop providing that collection service, that would be on the county to pick that up in some form or another.”

The search and debate to find and develop a suitable site for the wastewater transfer station has been ongoing since 2019.

Zimmerman added should the hamlet decide to cease its localized collection services, the county would have to decide whether to have residents drive to Wheatland West to dispose of their waste or to take on collection services themselves.

Among the issues which aim to be mitigated by a waste transfer site, in addition to relieving pressure from Wheatland West, is to reduce or put a stop to illegal dumping; a problem noted to currently be quite prominent in the area.

Following council’s approval, administration is able to begin looking for alternative sites and highlighting areas which may be viable for the project, as well as meet setback requirements from nearby residences.

“We know that any new site is going to generate opposition, but this is a waste transfer site, not a landfill. I don’t know if people realize that this is not likely to contaminate anything and is not likely to smell,” said Coun. Shannon Laprise.

“This was going to cost us $1.5 million. A new site, we will have to buy land for. This area is so tricky because there is so much opposition, but we are going to have to eventually move forward to something.”

Council estimated a future project on a different parcel of land may cost the county upwards of $2 million to $2.5 million.

During the Jan. 13 meeting, council directed administration to withdraw the ongoing redesignation application and report back with an alternative site for consideration within Division 5.