Updated Aug 1,2007

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 Perspectives

Alberta Lake Water Quality

An Overview

This issue’s guest contribution is by Ralph Johnston, CMA

He is a councilor in the Summer Village of Itaska, as well as Chairman of both the North East Pigeon Lake Regional Services Commission (NEPL) and the Association of Pigeon Lake Municipalities (Counties of Leduc, Wetaskiwin, and ten Summer Villages). He is a member of Alberta Environment – Septage Management Committee, and teaches financial management courses at the University of Alberta as a Certified Management Accountant.  

 Introduction

Water has always been important to residents of the Prairie Provinces and particularly Alberta.   This importance has now increased fifteen fold in the past five years as Alberta experiences a new economic boom centered around the Tar Sands, heavy oil and now diamonds in the North.  Along with this booming economy comes population growth and further water demand for recreational purposes.  As residents of a land locked Province, Albertans are drawn to water for a variety of domestic, commercial, industrial and recreational purposes.  In the view of the author, lakes fit into this need equation as ‘Historical Sites’ that must be protected in their natural state for future Albertans as they were passed on to us.

The challenge then becomes one of preserving “Historical Lake Sites” in harmony with Provincial and Regional growth.  The responsibly for the future of our Lakes’ water quality rests on our shift of governance to do it correctly.

What follows is a brief overview of what some Municipalities have done at Pigeon Lake to meet this challenge.

Phase 1 (Done)

1. Built a sewage transmission collection gravity system and treatment lagoon (Northeast Pigeon Lake Regional Services Commission – NEPL) for the Summer Villages of Silver Beach, Argentina Beach, Golden Days, Itaska and the Hamlet of Mulhurst Bay.
2. All respective stakeholders signed common bylaws requiring:
   1. Mandatory hookup.
   2. Elimination of “out houses” in the respective communities.
   3. Elimination of all sewage field and septic tanks in the respective municipalities.
   4. All future “Development” must be tied into the “Municipal Sewage System” at the cost of the developer.  Developer must pay an additional fee of $2700 per lot to cover the ungranted portion of the sewage treatment original infrastructure.  This money is used to build up Commission reserves for future expansion of facilities in the existing system and assist other municipalities around the lake to get on a sewage treatment system.
   5. All ratepayers are billed by the Commission on a monthly basis for operating costs of the system regardless of whether the lot is vacant, occupied only in the Summer or used all year around. One cost for all.
   6. All installations/connections of the service stub to the NEPL main line will be inspected by a Commission Inspector, ensuring that any connections to field / septic tanks have been dismantled and the tanks and fields have been disabled
   7. Host of Building Code regulations relative to sewage handling too numerous to cover at this time but common to all member municipalities.

3. NEPL system in this phase handles the sewage of 1200 lots
4. Sewage truck disposal bay built at the lagoon site to encourage dumping sewage at the “NEPL Municipal Lagoon” facility.  There is no charge for this service to the surrounding Pigeon Lake watershed community at this time (currently under review).
   1. Site access is open 24/7 however, an electronic imaging system photographs every vehicle that enters the gate and provides real live data to the NEPL Utility Officers computer located at the County of Wetaskiwin offices in real time.
   2. Working with the Department of Environment – we have been successful in NOT issuing any “Authorization” to dump sewage in the Pigeon Lake watershed in the winter months.  All sewage must go to the NEPL lagoon site for processing during this period.
   3. It is our goal that once our NEPL planned lagoon expansion is completed this fall of 2004 the same guidelines will apply to the summer months as is practically possible.
5. Sewage is treated and released into a watershed that drains away from Pigeon Lake.  Department of Environment approval is required before the treated wastewater can be released.

 Next Step (Future)

When the timing and economics are right, the NEPL would like to be part of:

1. Building a sewage system on the South Side of Pigeon lake ( Summer Villages / County of Wetaskiwin sub divisions) to collect and transmit all sewage for treatment at the NEPL lagoon site.
2. Build a sewage system in the remaining North Side communities, which are either Summer Villages or in the County of Leduc, and transmit their sewage for treatment at a future further expanded NEPL lagoon site.
3. All Master Agreements will be common and built around what has been developed for the North Side.

Community Vision

All stakeholders in the Pigeon Lake watershed share a common vision - that we are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that Pigeon Lake remains environmentally healthy for all current and future generations of Albertans.  This has been our mandate and message to “Senior Government” and through unity and conveying the same message, we have been successful in obtaining the necessary grants to accomplish part of our master objective.

Partnership

The County of Wetaskiwin, County of Leduc and the ten Summer Villages around Pigeon Lake are working together in a Partnership (Association of Pigeon Lake Municipalities) to accomplish this goal.  NEPL Committee members meet regularly and the Association of Pigeon Lake Communities (APLM) meets twice a year.  Water quality is always on the Agenda.   Associated with this critical item is the need to address growth while protecting the attraction that has stimulated this growth.

Development

All respective Municipalities are development friendly and this applies beyond waters edge to the Pigeon Lake watershed as well.  We have done the following in setting out some shared development guidelines:

1.   Prepared a Master Development Plan for the Pigeon Lake watershed area.  We are only going to allow it to grow to a specified benchmark size of rural and urban sized balance.  The watershed must maintain its viability to sustain itself to hold value for perpetuity as a “Historical Site”.

2.   All respective Municipalities have agreed to keep each other involved of any development in their area of the “Watershed”.

3.   Through the “Association of Pigeon Lake Municipalities”, we meet to review progress, resolve bottlenecks, misunderstandings and formulate strategies to move forward in harmony with the Master Plan.

4.   When new lake subdivisions are proposed; e.g. the Community worked in harmony with the developer to achieve this new focus on providing man made lakeside lots.  We did insist on no fields but an on-site gravity system that collected the sewage in a large septic tank for pickup and transfer to the NEPL lagoon for treatment. 

5.   On a recent 150 acre  site just off the north Shore of Pigeon Lake.  Once again the Community worked together to make this development happen.  The subdivision was approved with the condition that no septic fields would be allowed and that each site must have a septic tank initially with an engineered right of way for eventual hookup to a Municipal sewage system in the future, whenever that happens.   Every purchaser of this property is aware of this obligation in his/her sale agreement. 

Waste Water Disposal Regulations

Currently, Alberta is in the process of reviewing its wastewater regulations and a planned action step to further protect lakes and other watershed environments. While the Report is not public it is expected that much tighter regulations, enforcement and accountability will greatly assist a movement to further protect our water quality resources across the Province.

Closing Remarks

I can not say enough for the leadership in the preservation of Pigeon Lake being demonstrated firstly by the County of Wetaskiwin and the County of Leduc in currently supporting water quality initiatives and ready to be the lead Municipality when required. The Summer Villages on the North side are equally committed to this vision of a non sewage threatened lake environment. 

If your lake is undeveloped or developed it is important to first build a strategic plan involving all respective Municipalities that addresses controlled development with protection of lake water quality as its first priority.  Your respective Councilors should be encouraged to make this a mandate priority.

Respectfully,

 Ralph B. Johnston,

Agriculture’s Role in Conservation

 The Parlby Creek – Buffalo Lake Water Management Project was started in 1985 to provide a reliable source of water for a number of purposes. It was to provide a reliable source of water for Alix and Mirror, stabilize the level of water in Buffalo Lake, provide a reliable hay supply, and habitat for fish spawning and waterfowl.

 The Parlby Creek hay flats had been a source of winter feed for area cattle for one hundred years, as well as fish spawning habitat. With an unregulated water flow, the years varied in their productivity of hay, fish and waterfowl. The goal of the Parlby Creek portion of the project was to provide a more predictable supply of water each year. Mother nature hasn’t always co-operated. Some years have had very high water flows, and some years there has been very little winter runoff. Management of the Parlby Creek section involves closing the control structure gates in the late winter  to enable a backflood of water over the hay flats. Fish also use part of the area for spawning. At the end of May, the water is drawn down to dry out the area for haying. The small fish move down with the water into Buffalo Lake. Part of the area is hayed, and the hay hauled off to feed area cattle. In that hay are many elements such as phosphorus and nitrogen that would otherwise flow on into Buffalo Lake. In the lake they would be considered pollutants and decrease the water quality.

 Not everyone is always happy with the yearly management of the Parlby Creek flats. Farmers would like optimum haying conditions, fishermen would like shallow water for a longer period of time to allow the fingerlings to get larger, and waterfowl people would like more permanent water. Much of the Parlby Creek flats was and is private land. Before the land was flooded for multiple use, land owners had to sign flood easements. These agreements allow the land to be flooded in the spring, with the provision that the water be drawn down to the channel by the end of May, to enable haying the beginning of July. There is a committee composed of environment, wildlife, and landowner representatives that meets yearly to plan the best use for that year. Their job is to work toward the multiple use concept, while working within the confines of the flood easement agreements. Some people think that the flood easement agreements should be changed to permit a later drawdown. The problem is - how? I am sure the committee would welcome suggestions as to how to resolve the ongoing conflict of how and when to draw down the water to best meet the needs of all users. Until then their decisions are not always going to agree with the wishes of any one group.

 There are a number of different aspects of conservation at work along Parlby Creek. We are trying to conserve a natural resource for long-term gain. The natural resource includes water, native vegetation, fish and wildlife.  Conservation in the long term means that there will be an annual harvest of native vegetation as hay or grazing, continuing stocks of fish to be caught, and continuing flocks of migratory waterfowl for the hunters, and that recreational users will be able to enjoy the waters of Buffalo Lake long into the future.

 Neil Miller, BLMT

Buffalo Lake Intermunicipal Development Plan

The Buffalo Lake Intermunicipal Development Plan Committee is a multi-municipal committee that is responsible for providing continuity of issues affecting Buffalo Lake and surrounding municipalities

Established in 1996, the Committee was initially formed to guide the preparation of the Intermunicipal Development Plan.  This Plan was adopted to ensure responsible future management of Buffalo Lake and the surrounding shoreline area. The plan sets out land uses, future growth patterns and municipal infrastructure and provides the framework for subsequent subdivision and development within lakefront and backshore areas of Buffalo Lake.

The Committee is made up of one elected official from each of the five municipalities around the lake – Lacombe County, Camrose County, County of Stettler, and the Summer Villages of Rochon Sands and White Sands.  Administrative staff from the five municipalities provide technical advice and support to the Committee.  Other persons are often invited to Committee meetings to provide their input and perspective on land use and development issues.  John Lund, a longstanding member of the Buffalo Lake Management Team has attended several meetings.  His attendance has helped the Committee gain a better understanding of the Management Team’s work, which hopefully will serve to improve communication and coordination between the two groups.

Over the past year, the Committee has been busy addressing issues related to major development proposals in the County of Stettler.  One of these proposals required an amendment to the Plan.  These discussions have led the Committee to develop a more uniform set of development and servicing standards for residential developments.  More consistency of standards was something that had been called for when the Plan was adopted in 1997.

The new standards are intended to be minimum requirements with each municipality having the discretion to impose higher standards as they deem necessary.  Among the requirements recommended by the Committee are the following:

For more information about the Committee’s work and the Buffalo Lake Intermunicipal Development Plan, contact your local municipal office.