Town Council was presented with a proposal from Aqua 7 Regional Water Commission, formerly Kneehill Water Commission, to modify an existing agreement so that Drumheller water would be distributed to the entirety of Rocky View County.
The Town of Drumheller currently has an agreement where 2200 m³ of water is provided to the hamlet of Kathryn.
Aqua 7 would have the water, plus an extra 5020 m³ per day, sent instead to a reservoir near Balzac where it could then be distributed to all of Rocky View County, including Cross Iron Mills.
When Mayor Yemen was initially contacted in July, 2011, he was informed that the need for water in Rocky View was urgent.
However, at a recent meeting at the end of August Rocky View County confirmed that they would not need Drumheller water for another five years, when growth in the region would increase demand.
Colin Kloot, lawyer for the Town of Drumheller, spoke about the liability issues that could arise were Council to agree to the proposal. Were Drumheller water to become contaminated, and therefore contaminate the reservoirs in Rocky View County, due to negligence the Town could be liable for a great deal of money to commercial and industrial users who could claim loss of profits.
Council did not make a decision regarding the proposal from Aqua 7. Members of Council requested that administration investigate issues such as liability, provincial statutes regarding water transmission to other counties, insurance increases, and if the cost to other users of Drumheller water would decrease.
Council will discuss the proposal further at a future meeting.
