Wheatland council advances long-term wastewater plan for Lakes of Muirfield
By Melissa Crispin-Piche Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wheatland County council has approved planning and engineering work toward a long-term regional wastewater solution for Lakes of Muirfield, while separate work continues to address drinking-water odour complaints.
The wastewater motion passed Oct. 6 after council returned from a closed session. It directs administration to pursue construction funding through the Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership program and other eligible grant programs.
Council’s direction is to “advance the planning and engineering required for a long-term regional wastewater solution,” according to the motion read at the meeting.
The decision moves the project into further planning and a search for funding. The public discussion did not identify a construction budget, completion date or grant award.
The county’s action tracker still listed an earlier wastewater-hauling agreement as ongoing. An August resolution had authorized administration to finalize an agreement to haul wastewater to Strathmore.
The Oct. 6 public discussion did not establish whether hauling had begun, what it would cost or how those costs would be paid.
Separately, county reports described reservoir aeration installation as underway and an investigation into elevated geosmin associated with water odour complaints.
Those drinking-water concerns are distinct from the wastewater project. The reports do not establish that the drinking water is unsafe, and the wastewater motion did not address the odour investigation.
For residents, the next steps include details on the regional wastewater proposal, its funding and construction schedule, as well as an update on aeration work and water testing.
Council approved the wastewater motion without further questions during the public portion of the meeting.
More recyclables
Wheatland County’s transfer stations were scheduled to expand recycling collection Oct. 1 to include plastic packaging, metal cans, glass and Styrofoam, according to the county’s monthly report.
The change would allow residents to place packaging and paper products in mixed-recycling bins at county-operated transfer stations.
Rather than install an entirely new set of bins, the county planned to repurpose bins previously used for cardboard and newsprint.
The report lists plastics, metal cans, glass and Styrofoam among the materials included in the expanded collection. That list should not be read as permission to drop off every item made from those materials: the program is described as accepting packaging and paper products.
The report set Oct. 1 as the start date for the expanded collection.
Residents planning a drop-off should check their station’s posted instructions or ask staff which materials belong in the mixed-recycling bins and how they should be prepared.
Station-by-station availability and detailed preparation requirements still need confirmation before residents make a trip.
Water talk
The Goldfinch raw-water pipeline is supplying CGC for commissioning, but work on the Speargrass Water Treatment Plant connection has temporarily stopped, according to Wheatland County’s monthly infrastructure report.
The report describes progress on one part of the project alongside unfinished work on another. Administration says it is working with a bonding agency to complete outstanding work and address deficiencies at the Speargrass connection.
Supplying water for commissioning marks a step forward for the Goldfinch line. It does not mean all related connection work is complete.
The reported pause concerns connection work. It does not establish that Speargrass residents have lost water service.
The remaining questions are when the connection can be finished, what work and deficiencies are still outstanding, and whether completing them will change the project’s cost.