Rocky View County is hosting an open house regarding a new wastewater treatment plant, June 9 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bragg Creek Community Centre.
County staff and the project consultant will be on hand to answer questions and garner input from the community.
“We want to put council in the position of making a good decision, and having this open house will provide an opportunity for further dialogue,” said Drew Hyndman, Applications and Informations Management (AIM) supervisor.
“We want to be transparent.”
A public hearing for the sewage treatment plant was scheduled for June 8, but concerns raised by citizens prompted staff to delay the hearing until June 22.
“The main rationale behind the two-week delay was to accommodate a commitment made to the community for a second open house,” said Hyndman. “We wanted to honour that commitment and give the residents an open forum.”
The proposed sewer treatment plant, to be located along the Elbow River, has been a controversial subject.
County staff has received a number of letters raising concerns about the environment, wildlife, possible odour, increased traffic and cost.
“We have received a lot of concern about this, but we have been proactive,” said Hyndman.
The County has conducted two information mail-outs to residents in the area and is currently completing a Biophysical Impact Assessment (BIA) of the area to learn more about the proposed site and mitigate the impact to the environment.
The assessment will be available for viewing at the open house.
Currently, Bragg Creek has a variety of ways of dealing with its wastewater including septic fields and trucking away effluent.
The community has been under a boil-water advisory for decades.
“What we are trying to do is create a solution that is a much higher level of service than Bragg Creek currently receives,” said Hyndman.
