Bragg Creek Wastewater System Update

September 30th, 2011
On the wastewater front, the County's drilling program for the wastewater collection system is to commence Saturday or Monday. The rig will be located at a staging area on Pine Avenue west of River Drive. Two lines will be directionally drilled under the river to the WWTP site located on the west side of Wintergreen Road. A third line will be directionally drilled under the west ditch of River Drive from Pine Avenue to the south side of Balsam Avenue. Questions? Please contact Rafeal at 403-520-7292.

September 5th, 2011
The Bragg Creek Wastewater Plant is being constructed to deal with contamination issues. Bragg Creek is underlined by an alluvial aquifer, which means large gravel is below the ground, making it not suitable for septic fields because water flows too quickly through the large gravel to be filtered and treated. Septic fields rely on organic breakdown in the ground for filtration.

Currently, homes and businesses in Bragg Creek use septic fields for wastewater, with untreated water flowing into the Elbow River. Due to this process, the community is under a boil-water order due to the contamination.

Rocky View County has been working to build a Wastewater Plant to properly filter wastewater filtering through the plant using a series of filtration processes.

HOW DOES THE PLANT WORK?
The Wastewater Plant will use a river diffuser, effluent transmission line and a collector main to treat wastewater. The wastewater will be collected at the home or business location and sent to the treatment plant where an advanced treatment technology, including ultrafiltration (UF) membranes bioreactors and ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection, ensuring the effluent is of the highest quality prior to return to the Elbow River.

The membranes provide the highest level of treated water quality by filtering out particles 100 times smaller than conventional technologies, ensuring bacteria, viruses, parasites and other microbes are prevented from passing through.

The site has been prepared and the river diffuser has been installed.

Phase One includes:

· Servicing the commercial and residential units north to the Elbow River

· Capacity at 114m3/day

· Designed with low pressure grinder pump service and heavy piping to the treatment facility

NEXT STEPS

How can I access the wastewater system?

Residents will be able to access water by installing the piping.

Piping/Grinder costs
The cost estimates below have been prepared based on the information available and is not a quote for actual work. Installation costs are dependent on surface conditions and other variables and will not be the same in every situation.

Estimated costs for the sanitary piping/grinder from houses to the wastewater plant:

· 75 millimetres (mm) piping = $290/ lineal metre (lm)

· 50 mm piping = $260/lm

· 50 mm piping residential service (from main to plant) = $2,800/unit

· 50 mm piping residential service (from plant to house) = $175/lm

· Residential grinder pump system = $4,500/unit

· 50 mm piping commercial service (from main to plant) = $2,800/unit

· 50 mm commercial service = $175/lm

· Commercial grinder system and sampling = $9,500 - $21,000/unit depending on type of commercial enterprise (i.e. restaurant, grocery store, post office)

Utility costs
A formal wastewater utility rate has not been set. Based on current estimates, with 100 houses connected at start up, the cost would be approximately $105/month.

When can I access the system?
The approximate date for access to the plant is spring of 2012.

The Future

The aim is to have all homes be connected, with wastewater treated to a very high standard.

July 30, 2011
As most Bragg Creek residents know, construction on the Bragg Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant has begun. Please contact Rafael on details regarding the waste water portion of the project at ROdie@rockyview.ca. I will have information for residents in early September concerning plans for the long-anticipated water and waste water piping and costs for hook up and all that goes with that. In fact, a community meeting will be held in October to discuss plans and details more fully. Excerpted from: Rick's Councillor Update

May 23, 2011
Collection pipe construction for the Hamlet including River Drive North and Pine Avenue, Spruce Avenue and Balsam Avenue begins this summer. Estimated costs for commercial businesses - grinder systems range in cost from $9,600 to $15,000 per unit; residential properties - grinder systems range in cost from $4,200 to $5,136 per unit.  Excerpted from: Rick's Councillor Update

April 28, 2011
Council recently approved an additional $500,000 from new provincial grants to advance the Bragg Creek Wastewater Treatment System. These additional dollars will deliver the line across Elbow River for the outfall diffuser tie-in and collection pipe construction for the Hamlet including River Drive North and Pine Avenue, Spruce Avenue and Balsam Avenue. Estimated sewage system commercial hook-up costs are $8,000 and residential hook-ups are estimated at $4,000. Excerpted from: Rick's Councillor Update