The County of Barrhead is continuing with its research into setting up an electronic gate at the Manola Lagoon.
Staff is looking into a system consisting of prepaid cards, which identify the truck, the date and the time of entry, as well as the quantity of effluent dumped into the lagoon. It’s a system that could potentially be used at all of the County’s sites, said Utilities Manager Barry Billey.
County Reeve Bill Lee said he wasn’t sure if a prepaid card system was a good fit for users of area lagoons. He said if he were a trucker, he’d rather get a bill at the end of the month stating how much he owed, rather than having to pay money upfront.
Billey, on the other hand, said most truckers who dump effluent into the lagoon know on average how much they dump in a month, so it wouldn’t be a problem for them to prepay for the service.
“I think this is a good idea,” he told councillors. He added that quotes came in from other systems and were in excess of $23,000. There is no cost estimate yet for the prepaid card system.
County Manager Mark Oberg said there would be more options to come before councillors.
The Utilities manager also updated councillors on the situation concerning the Lac La Nonne Waste Stabilization Pond, also known as the Dunstable Lagoon. The lagoon was closed April 1 of this year to allow for the effluent to evaporate.
Residents who would normally utilize its services must now travel to the newly developed lagoon in Lac Ste. Anne County, which charges a fee to dump at its facility.
It’s a decision that met with some opposition from residents who regularly used the Dunstable Lagoon. The other option is to use the Manola Lagoon. The County was forced to revise its method of lowering the water level at Dunstable Lagoon when a complaint was filed with Alberta Environment.
The County, with permission from Alberta Environment, had been pumping out the wastewater when it reached high levels. Due to the complaint being filed, the government is no longer allowing the County to continue this practice. Dunstable Lagoon is designed as an evaporation pond, and in an effort to allow for that process to take place the County has closed down the facility to users.
When the water level was last measured in October, the effluent was 0.6 metres below its allowable level as set out by Alberta Environment. The Dunstable Lagoon effluent level was again surveyed in May. Results showed that the berm varied in height from zero to 10 centimetres throughout, except on the easterly bank where it measured 0.96 of a metre higher.
The lowest portion of the berm lies in the northwest corner. The high water level was 0.38 metres (or 15 inches) below the berm and into the freeboard. The county is required by law to maintain a 0.60 metre freeboard below the berm, which means the water level is 0.22 metres too high and is encroaching the freeboard, Billey said.
Billey said depending on the summer and how long it takes the effluent to evaporate, he is aiming for August or September for another reading.
In 2010, 11,882 cubic metres of sewage were hauled into the Dunstable Lagoon. This year, 2,665 cubic metres had been hauled in by the end of March prior to the lagoon being closed to the public.
Considerably less sewage was hauled into the Manola Lagoon last year for a total of 139 cubic metres. From January to the end of April this year, 37.61 cubic metres have been dumped there.
A total of 5,600 cubic metres were dumped into the Thunder Lake lagoon last year. Currently, there have been 1,640.4 cubic metres of effluent poured into the lagoon in 2011.
Last, but not least, Altagas will be replacing aging PVC gaslines this summer within the Neerlandia hamlet. Approximately 80 per cent of the existing lines will be replaced, Billey said, which is part of Altagas’ program.
