St. Albert is to be commended for its Environmental Master Plan that's setting goals and involves annually reporting progress (Gazette, April 21). Understandably it will take time for residents to become accustomed to the new Water Conservation Bylaw as evidenced by the amount of lawn watering that continued during the recent dry stretch.
So now might be an opportune time, as the recent rains abate, to talk about “smart” water use. According to its Environmental Master Plan, St. Albert has set a goal of averaging 200 litres per person per day. Question? What does the Jensen Lakes developer intend to use to fill and maintain a planned private 20-acre lake?
Our previous council, in approving the Jensen Lakes Area Structure Plan, did not demand more specifics on the proposed lake than assurances from the developer than “… Jensen Lakes residents will pay for it." Now how smart is that? Because you can, you will!
My efforts to learn more have yielded no additional insight. I find this troublesome, given the developer is already removing soil from the planned lake area to build up adjacent lands for development. The lake is coming, and St. Albert administration is none the wiser on water source. Presently, St. Albert like a considerable number of surrounding municipalities, gets its treated water from Epcor, which in turn extracts it from the North Saskatchewan River.
Water treatment is not a benign process, it has its environmental costs. Many treatment processes and ongoing vigilance are needed to ensure water is “safe to drink.” At a time of heightened community interest in the environment, climate change and reducing needless waste, it does not make sense to use treated water any way one wants just because they can!
The Water Conservation Bylaw does not so much speak about the scarcity of water as the need to be wise in its use; treated water is a precious resource and should not be used needlessly. It does not make sense to use water at a time when most of it is needlessly lost through evaporation. Timing that use is one such option.
St. Albert can become smarter when it comes to what water source is used to fill Jensen’s Lake. Given the state of development, rejecting the lake is not an option. However, options exist besides relying on treated water.
Clearly the Jensen’s Lake residents want the lake, because they can, they will. I propose St. Albert planners challenge the developer to use groundwater wells to fill and maintain the lake. There are issues with this groundwater but put the onus on the owners of this lake to treat it to a standard that meets their use requirements rather than put additional pressure on the existing infrastructure to supply treated water. Shallow water wells have previously been used, without treatment, by St. Albert, to maintain Lacombe Park pond and the ponds in Heritage Lakes. My proposal to use deep water wells will not remove the need for basement sumps. However, by utilizing the area’s existing underground aquifer to supply water, it can be an ingenious way to fill a lake and exhibit the wisdom that is embodied in the Environmental Master Plan.
That is my challenge to council and the developer ... get smart on the use of treated water and not waste it because you can!
Ken Crutchfield, St. Albert
