ST. PAUL - The Town of St. Paul is exploring options and issues around the process of pumping water from the North Saskatchewan River, to Lac St. Cyr, and then to the town's water treatment plant, which then flows to town.
The topic came up during the town's Oct. 15 Committee of the Whole meeting. Council went into a brief closed session before returning to the public meeting five minutes later. CAO Kim Heyman began discussions, presenting a map that showed the area of Lac St. Cyr where the town owns land and has a pumphouse.
She explained that there are a couple issues she wants council to be aware of. The first was that a developer has inquired about some of the land, while the second issue was that there is an outsanding situation with the provincial government regarding water going from the river to the lake.
Water from the North Saskatchewan River is pumped to Lac St. Cyr, where the lake is used as a type of reservoir for the town's water supply. When the waterline was put in, an agreement between cottage owners on the lake and the provincial government was created, ensuring the water levels of the lake never went down. Therefore, enough water must be pumped from the river to keep the lake levels up, in addition to the water being used by the Town of St. Paul.
The cost of pumping the water is $200,000 per year, said Heyman, but about $80,000 of that is to keep the water levels up.
Alberta Environment wants the Town of St. Paul to take over the agreement that is in place with the residents, along with operation and maintenance of the infrastructure.
"There are alternatives for the town to consider," said Heyman. She also explained that if any of the land was sold to a developer, the situation with the province would have to be disclosed. Heyman noted that due to changing staff with the province, the town is now waiting to see who the file will be assigned to.
The road leading to the property was also discussed. It is not a developed road, and would have to be upgraded if anyone developed the property. Right now, the road works for what the town requires it for as an access.
Mayor Maureen Miller said she recently visited the area to get a better understanding of the situation. And she questioned how the provincial government expected the Town of St. Paul to take over an agreement with County of St. Paul residents.
"We cannot take over the agreement," said Coun. Nathan Taylor, adding, it was "crazy" to even think about it.
If the town decides not to pump water into the lake, it could build a reservoir on the property, heard council. A reservoir big enough to contain water for six to seven months would be required, and then the water would be pumped from the reservoir to the town's water treatment plant. But, in the end, all scenerios hinge on Alberta Environment allowing it.
Discussions around long-term planning, and other options also took place, along with some councillors asking about a feasibility study.
There are "a lot of moving parts," said Miller. No decisions were made on the topic.
