Michael Buchholzer, Director of Environmental Services with the City, deserves a pat on the back for having a vision which is certainly a tad outside the box, yet one which promises to enhance the experiences possible to enjoy in our city.
Back in 2006 the City's new water treatment plant was in the planning stages and as part of that process City Administration received a letter from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities confirming acceptance of the City's grant application to provide a feasibility study on the handling and treatment of backwash wastewater from the Queen Street Water Treatment facility. This grant, designated as the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) provides 50/50 funding up to a total of $555,000.
The idea Buchholzer was hoping for was to add a 'green' element to the water treatment plant project, and in the end he initiated a process which has created a cutting-edge proposal which Council supported at its June 26 meeting.
With the help of the Assiniboine Watershed Stewardship Association local input on the project was sought, with the results of the stakeholders meeting to design a treatment process for the plant backwash wastewater and incorporate the design into a passive and active recreational area.
"This basis of design involves diverting backwash wastewater from entering the sanitary sewer system and treating it on-site. The water treatment plant, operating at full capacity, will produce approximately 2,000 cubic metres a day of backwash wastewater. This volume of water is equivalent to a sewage wastewater demand of approximately 5,500 people," Buchholzer told Council.
Diverting that flow of water makes sense from the perspective of not putting adding pressure on the sanitary system, and cuts the cost of the project since Buchholzer suggested it would be a two-to-three million dollar project to get the wastewater to the sanitary plant.
The approved work does have a price tag of $900,000, but the benefits of the existing plan are far more intriguing than simply flushing the water through traditional treatment processes.
In terms of recreation, material from the wetlands and flow regulating pond will be disposed of and shaped to form the foundation of six multi-use sporting fields.
The key element is the idea of using the pond for more than water storage. It is possible that this flow regulating pond may be used in the future as a fish pond; however, this will need to be investigated further in consultation with the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Buchholzer explained.
The idea of a local fish pond to dip a hook into for a fresh trout to fry for supper has to be a positive for the community, but the opportunity to create a wetland environment which will enhance Logan Green both aesthetically, and as an area which can be used for an array of educational purposes.
There have been times the City has had an opportunity to be at the cutting edge of urban development, such as utilizing geothermal as an energy source at the Gallagher Centre, and in retrospect that was a lack of foresight.
In this case Yorkton is ahead of the curve.
Buchholzer told Council a project in Alberta supposedly has some of the elements, but aspects such as incorporating a fish pond appear a North American first, and for looking beyond the norm course he deserves to be commended, as does Council for approving the project.
