Charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act

THIS NOTICE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020

 The Town has recently been served a Summons identifying alleged violations of the “Code of Practice for a Waterworks System Consisting Solely of a Water Distribution System”. There are 7 Counts in total with 5 Counts against the Town, 1 Count against the Town and a former Town employee, and 1 Count against a former Town employee.

These counts refer to circumstances that arose during the years of 2014 through to 2017, brought to the Town’s attention in 2018, and are directly related to the operation of the Town’s water distribution system and compliance to the Code of Practice. These charges are in no way related to the Water Treatment Plant which is owned and operated by the Highway 3 Water Commission with the MD of Taber as managing partner.

As soon as issues were identified by the Town Staff and Management in early 2018, Staff worked closely with Alberta Environment and Parks to identify historical practices and took steps to achieve full compliance.

• Standard Operating Procedures have been updated in consultation with Alberta Environment and Parks.

• Staff are receiving continuous and ongoing training in Water Distribution.

• Town Staff strive to exceed the requirements in the Code of Practice.

• The Town currently has a licensed operator with 10 years of experience, who oversees the operations of the Water Distribution System.

These charges relate to following proper procedures for testing and reporting. They do not relate to water quality findings. To the best of our knowledge, the quality of the Town’s drinking water was not affected.

Mayor Gordon Reynolds