DIDSBURY - The Town of Didsbury's council has approved funding totalling $23,000 for water well compliance work required by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA) to proceed with an application for a permanent irrigation licence for a well at the Didsbury Golf Club.
The move came by way of motion at a recent, regularly-scheduled council meeting, held in person and online
In a briefing note to council, acting chief administrative officer Amanda Riley said although the Town of Didsbury no longer uses the water wells near the Butte water reservoir, the golf course relies on the wells to fill ponds and to irrigate fairways and greens.
“It was determined that the wells were not licensed by AEPA and the town initiated an application for compliance to obtain a temporary licence. At the same time, the town inspected the infrastructure and determined the town’s electricity was supplying the irrigation water,” she said.
The cost to bring one of the three wells into compliance with the requirements of AEPA is estimated to be $23,000 plus approximately $700 in annual power consumption costs, she said.
“Based on the existing pump’s capacity and historical operation conditions, it has been determined that one operating well with the recommended pump would be sufficient for the current irrigation needs with capacity for growth and/or drier seasons,” she said.
“To date, the town has spent about $5,600 working with AEPA, Fortis, consultants and contractors to apply for licensing, determine electrical consumption, estimate the cost of compliance work, and secure the facility to safeguard staff, contractors and the public.”
Council carried a second motion to accept the engineering and infrastructure report as information.
