Lacombe Lake (Photo: Anita Alexander)

By Sheldon Spackman and Troy Gillard

Ready To Hear Submissions

Environmental Appeals Board hearing scheduled over Blackfalds’ Lacombe Lake stormwater plan

Apr 29, 2021 | 1:44 PM

An Environmental Appeals Board hearing will take place later this spring over the approval of a project that would allow the Town of Blackfalds to drain stormwater into Lacombe Lake.

The approval under the Water Act for the North West Stormwater Management Plan was granted by Alberta Environment and Parks on July 15, 2020. The project would see rain water from new developments in Blackfalds transported through underground pipelines to a stormwater management facility for treatment before being discharged to Lacombe Lake, Whelp Brook and Wolf Creek.

Blackfalds Mayor Richard Poole has said the project is important for the growth of the town and surrounding region and is one that exceeds provincial environmental standards.

The appeal has been filed by Ecojustice, a group billing itself as Canada’s largest environmental law charity, on behalf of Anita Alexander, whose family has owned property at Lacombe Lake since 1960. Alexander has long been a vocal opponent of the project.

Ecojustice and Alexander claim that the province failed to identify an adequate outlet for the stormwater management system, and that the Town of Blackfalds failed to present an analysis and modelling of stormwater quality in accordance with the province’s Stormwater Management Guidelines.

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They also claim the applicant (Town of Blackfalds) failed to provide an analysis of the risk of oil, grease and other hydrocarbon contamination to Lacombe Lake, and that the province failed to consider the lack of such analysis in granting its approval.

In addition, their appeal claims the province’s designated director, Todd Aasen, “erred in failing to require monitoring that would determine the quality of stormwater discharging into Lacombe Lake.”

The Environmental Appeals Board will conduct a hearing on June 14 and 17, 2021, via video conference, commencing at 8:30 am.

Anyone wishing to take part in the hearing, which will be held via video conference, must submit their request to the board by May 6. Contact the board for further information.