01-40_WC_149_JUL-AUG26_PT - Flipbook - Page 37
“Insteadofusingpotable,treatedwateranddoubling
thechemicalsthisisamoreenvironmentalapproach
tosupportingouragriculturalindustry.”
The Town of Viking has recently implemented a 昀椀ltered raw water
pumping station to support local agricultural operations while reducing reliance on treated municipal water during drought conditions.
Lefsrud said filtration of reservoir water is an important
consideration because “spray equipment or really any farming technology is so sophisticated that any sort of particle [or
other matter] getting into their system will clog sprayers and
thus discourage farmers from using the water.
“Instead of using potable, treated water and doubling
the chemicals, this is a more environmental approach to
supporting our agricultural industry in their spraying,
watering cattle or whatever [else] they use it for,” he added.
Lefsurd said Viking can serve as an example to other
smaller communities looking to expand their water
infrastructure capabilities, and looked back to previous
decades when most small communities treated their own
water as an example.
“Holden (a small village) is just to the west of us
and has the infrastructure. They have a little pumping
station, a reservoir, not necessarily in similar capacities to
Viking because of community size, but they do have the
infrastructure,” he said.
Lefsurd was optimistic other municipalities could learn
from Viking’s example when looking to expand or modify
existing water infrastructure.
“Other municipalities may have the infrastructure but
not the funds to take it to the next step like we did but if
we can show others what we’ve done here, they can take
that into consideration,” he said.
WATERCANADA.NE T
The Town of Viking repurposed an existing 274-million-gallon raw
water reservoir system built in the early 1980s that had seen limited
use for many years.
Lefsurd added given the relatively small size of the
town it was important to find a cost-effective solution.
“Viking was faced (in earlier discussions) with a
situation where the volume of water was down but
also ahead was the treatment process. Some of the
conversation when I was on council was about using
fluorescent treatment, certainly there’s always chemical
treatment through chlorination and we looked at
ultraviolet light and other processes,” he said.
“At that time Viking was told that would have to be
the next phase and 20 years ago when that was being
speculated on that meant a $400,000 upgrade on our
water treatment plant,” he said.
However the town has a population of 1,000 people
and limited tax dollars, he added, and “we’re always
looking for that commercial investment piece to bring
up our tax rate but we have challenges (in that regard)
and haven’t seen that.”
Asking ratepayers to come up with $400,000 20 years
ago would be like asking for $1.5 million now, said
Lefsurd, and an alternative approach was needed, with
the town eventually investing $350,000 into the raw
water filtered pumping station.
“It was a bit of a gamble on behalf of the Viking
council, administration and the ratepayers to implement
this, but it just seemed to make sense.”
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