Alberta Sustainable Resource Development has opened a salvage fishery at the Berry Creek Reservoir in hopes of harvesting the fish before winter.
    A floodgate on the dam of the reservoir has malfunctioned and the water level may be too low to allow the fish to survive over winter. They hope to harvest the populations that could be lost over the winter.
    Carrie Sancartier, spokesperson for Alberta Sustainable Resources Development explains the dam was built in the mid-1960s and following a review, it was found that it needed rehabilitation to meet today’s safety standards. Work on the dam took place through the summer.
    In mid to late September however, one of the gates was discovered to be malfunctioning.
    “It was stuck in an open position and letting water escape,” said Sancartier.
    She explains attempts to either close the gate or curb the water flow were unsuccessful. They opted to build a coffer dam to slow down the water flowing through, allowing the workers to access the gate to make the fix.
    “The issue was underwater,” said Sancartier.
    Even with the coffer dam in place they are still concerned about the fish.
    “Our scientists were concerned there would not be enough oxygen for the fish to survive the winter so we put the salvage fishery in place,” said Sancartier.
    Species in the reservoir include Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Walleye, Longnose Sucker, White Sucker and Minnow.
    Drumheller–Stettler MLA Rick Strankman lashed out at the Alberta government for what he sees as mismanagement, which caused the problems in the first place and he questioned the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Diana McQueen durung question period on October 23.
    “Mismanagement from this PC government is negatively impacting the economic viability of farmers in this area and is putting our environment at risk,” Strankman said.  “The gateway at the Berry Creek Reservoir needs to be a priority, so we can clean up the area, ensure the safety of the workers on site, and prevent an incident like this happening in the future.”
    He says the situation is leaving farm land at risk and the department has failed to take the advise of the operators of the dam who take care of day to day maintenance.
    Sancartier said the department is working with other parties to develop a plan to manage the reservoir next year.
    “We don’t know what the effects will be, our concern right now is closing the gate. We are taking measurements at the same time to gain a full understanding of what the impacts might be,” she said.
    Those wishing to take advantage of the salvage fishery at the Berry Creek Reservoir can purchase a license at any Fish and Wildlife Office in Alberta. The fishery is open October 23 to November 23. Licenses are available to all residents of Canada and are only $5.
    For more information go to www.mywildalberta.com.

    With only a year to go until the next municipal elections, The Drumheller Mail is continuing its survey of elected officials in the area to learn who’s running again.
    In Delia, Mayor John Rogers felt he would most likely run again.
    “I’ve given it thought and I will probably run again. It’ll be influenced by the council and what happens in my personal life,” said Rogers. “I find it very interesting being on Council and I’d like to be on it once more to fulfill what we’ve started.”
    Councillor Jeff Collins is giving it thought, but won’t make a decision until the spring. Collins currently splits his time between Delia and Calgary.
    “I’m having a good time doing the job. I’ll have something for sure in the spring and summer. I don’t think you can do a good job as a councillor if you’re not in the community all the time. I miss a lot of weekend things I should be at,” said Collins.
    For Dennis Thordarson, who just joined the village council on October 19 in a by-election, he will use the year to evaluate whether political life is for him.
    Over the past two years, the council has accomplished a number of projects. However there are a few that stand out from the rest.
    “We got some of the sewer system upgraded and revitalized our sidewalks on main street,” said Rogers.
    Beyond the sewer system upgrades, Collins added a couple more accomplishments from the past two years.
    “We made sure the school and post office were secured for the community. We actively workedon any misinformation about Highland Dell and told people its a seniors complex, so don’t shut it down,” said Collins.
    Collins also added implementing a grant to help residents upgrade their sewer systems to better protect the village’s water supply was a difficult, but necessary project.
    With a year to go, the council still has items they’d like to take care of  before the next election. Both agreed continuing the aging sewer system upgrades was a priority. The system was built in the 1950’s and is not up to current standards.
    Collins highlighted staying ahead of borrowing as a big concern over the next year.
    “The one issue we’re in front of is borrowing. We’re debt free and we’ve got money in the bank. We’re starting to run into situations where we either have to clean out our savings account or borrow. One of the big challenges for this council, or the first year of the next, is do we bite the bullet and dig in to our surplus, or borrow to do what we have to for our infrastructure?" said Collins.
    Other challenges are increasing Delia’s population and modifying the election rules so that the person who receives the most votes becomes mayor. The mayor is currently chosen by the village councillors from among their number.
    If given the chance to spend $1 million in grant money for any project the two councillors have different priorities.
    “I would build a new solar array and have the village surrounded by solar panels. We could turn Delia into a micro-generator so we could sell electricity into the grid and make money,” said Collins.
    Rogers felt the sewer and water systems need money the most.
    “Our sewer and water systems need it the most. Our water storage isn’t up to what we’d like to see for fire protection and the sewer system has outlived its lifetime,” said Rogers.
    The next elections will occur in the fall of 2013.

Councillor Jeff Collins (left), Mayor John Rogers, and Dennis Thordarson of the Delia Village Council as of October 19, 2012. With a year to go until the next election, Rogers and Collins felt the village has made great strides on the sewer system upgrades and feel it is a priority in the coming year.