An historic joint council meeting could result in a water solution for Okotoks and the Foothills region.
The Town of Okotoks and Foothills County councils will hold a joint meeting Aug. 31 beginning at 2 p.m., and it will be livestreamed to the public.
“The purpose of that meeting is to discuss a partnership opportunity for supplemental water for the region,” said Okotoks CAO Elaine Vincent.
Staff from both municipalities will present an option for partnership and lay out potential water line routes, walking through the logic behind the proposed solution and associated costs and a cost-sharing formula, she said.
Plans have been in the works for the better part of a year, when Okotoks council directed its administration to find alternative solutions for the water project, which it also moved later into its long-term plan in light of the Town having a nine-year supply of water for development.
“Once we knew for sure that the Calgary door was closed, we’ve been working behind the scenes for just about a year now to develop an alternate solution,” said Vincent. “That’s what we will be presenting to the communities on Aug. 31.”
Working toward a regional solution for water was part of the Town of Okotoks’ plan when the Calgary pipeline was still a consideration, she said. Part of that initiative was driven by the formation of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board, which emphasizes regional partnerships and solutions.
In addition, the Province shows preference for partnership planning when considering funding under the Alberta Municipal Water Works Program, with single municipalities receiving about 45 to 55 per cent of their projects funded while regional entities can get up to 90 per cent of their project cost from the government, said Vincent.
“We believe the solution we’re proposing is a true partnership approach,” she said. “It meets both partners’ needs and actually has the opportunity to potentially serve a sub-regional component as well if other municipalities have an interest in that. We see it as a win-win-win.”
Information on the project can be found on the Town’s website, and Vincent said a page devoted to the water line has been set up. Should both councils approve the proposed waterline as presented, a series of videos outlining the route and other project information will be available as well, she said.
Foothills County CAO Ryan Payne said the municipality has been investigating options for working with its regional partners for years to develop services that can be mutually beneficial, but has pursued the waterline with Okotoks in earnest over the past year.
He said the joint council meeting is the culmination of that work.
“It will lay out the intentions of the two municipalities with a working relationship and commit us to exploring options as well,” said Payne. “That will be the formal part of building on the relationship and the conversation that has been ongoing over the past little while.”
For more information visit www.okotoks.ca/town-services/water-solution or www.mdfoothills.com.
