This season's heavy rainfalls across Central Alberta have triggered calls for provincial help to deal with stressed municipal pipeline systems.
“Because we've had two towns flood out, we are now going to go back to the province and tell them we do need emergency retention ponds for a big rain event,” said Penhold mayor Dennis Cooper. “There's going to be some discussion with the province to see if we can get a retention pond in Innisfail and a retention pond in Olds.”
At a recent Penhold council meeting, Cooper said members of the South Red Deer Regional Wastewater Commission were told on Aug. 19 that heavy rains over the summer have caused high inflow and infiltration (I and I) levels in both Olds and Innisfail.
“A rain event does put a tremendous amount of stress on the system,” said Cooper. “The problem is when you get all that water. (The pipeline) was made to carry sewage, not inflow and infiltration.”
He pointed to the high cost for some municipalities.
“The July bill for Olds was almost equal to our entire bill for the year. They had that much inflow,” said Cooper. “Our entire sewer bill is about $460,000 for the entire year, Bowden's is $320,000 for the year and Olds' for one month is $309,000.”
With two or three rain events in July, he said Penhold's sewer system was pumping much more than it was designed to do.
“It was actually pumping its maximum amount that it was designed to 20 years from now,” he said. “They were getting that much water down the line.”
The heavy rain impacted Innisfail as well.
“Innisfail got to a point where the regional system had to release the sewage, pump it back into the reservoir and into the creek because they couldn't handle the flow. It was coming in so great,” explained Cooper. “That was one of the big challenges with the Innisfail rain event.”
Cooper noted Innisfail has done a “super” job slowing down inflow and infiltration through such measures as lining sewer lines and manholes.
“They've done a super job. By looking at the numbers of the amount of sewage they've put through compared to what they should have put through, it shows that there has been a great reduction in their I and I,” he said. “What they're doing is working.”
Robb Stuart, wastewater commission chair, agreed and said Innisfail has been proactive in dealing with and preventing inflow and infiltration.
In dealing with heavy rain events, both Stuart and Cooper want the province to step up and fund emergency retention ponds for Innisfail and Olds.
“The emergency storage (ponds) were part of the original design concept that the province approved,” said Stuart, who is also the mayor of Bowden. “The province said they wouldn't fund it unless we could prove the need for it, and we said the only way to prove the need for it, is if something goes horribly wrong,” Stuart added, noting he has received a letter from the province stating it would fund the emergency retention ponds but it would take several years to determine that need.
“We've been worried about this forever. The other part of it is how much the towns are paying when it rains,” explained Stuart. “We're treating quite a bit more water than what we buy from the water commission.”
The commission will now follow up with the province to try and receive funding to establish emergency retention ponds in areas where needed, noted Stuart.
“Once Innisfail takes their lagoons out, then we'll have to build new storage (retention) facilities, whereas we could take over the existing lagoons,” said Stuart. “It makes a lot more sense.”
Penhold mayor Dennis Cooper
"Because we've had two towns flood out, we are now going to go back to the province and tell them we do need emergency retention ponds for a big rain event."
