By Don Patterson
Staff Reporter
An Ontario-based bottled water company is looking to tap the MD of Foothills for a new plant intended to serve the Alberta market.
MD council heard details at its March 13 meeting of Ice River Springs Water Company’s proposed Aldersyde area plant, which will draw water from two wells in the area.
Council approved an area concept plan and a site-specific amendment allowing the plant to be built on the site.
Company representative Ron Hall said it would be a unique industrial facility that would provide employment and tax revenue for the MD.
“The plant would provide local jobs for the production of a local product that would be consumed locally,” he said.
The plant would be located on the east side of the Highwood River, east of the former MagCan Plant. The building will be 260,000 square feet and is proposed to be built in two stages. It will employ between 35 to 40 people when complete.
The plant would be completely automated and would have three production lines by the completion of the second phase.
The company has three other plants, one in Ontario, one in the U.S. and one in Cranbrook, B.C.
Hall said the company is licensed to draw water from a well in High River and a second just inside the MD of Willow Creek. The water would then be transported by tanker to the plant. Under Canadian regulations, spring water is defined as potable water that comes from any underground source but not from a community water supply.
Sandy Gott, vice-president of the Ice River Springs, said the company has a combined licence for 23 million gallons per year at both wells. Between the two wells, she said the company will have sufficient supply for expected output when the second phase of the plant opens.
She said the company conducts hydrological studies to ensure they aren’t impacting other wells in the vicinity.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure on water. As long as these decisions are based on science, we’re fine,” Gott added.
She said neighbours of the company’s Ontario plant had appealed the renewal of the company’s licence in the province citing concerns over the impact on their water wells. However, she said a study conducted by a third party firm showed the plant had no impact on neighbours’ wells.
Gott said the company addressed these concerns by implementing a broader monitoring program at the plant.
Water to serve the plant’s everyday uses, such as tap water or for bathrooms, will come from a well on site.
While bottles would be manufactured on-site, she said this process will not create any emissions.
Gott said the company wants to cut back on transportation costs by constructing the plant near the Calgary market.
She said Calgary is a primary distribution centre for the company’s major clients and, at present, 70 per cent of the bottled water produced in Cranbrook is sent to Calgary to supply the Alberta market.
“The closer you can get to your main customers, the more competitive you can be,” Gott explained.
She said the product from the plant wouldn’t be shipped to the U.S., because the country has a different definition for spring water than Canada.
According to Gott, the plant could generate up to 216 vehicle trips per day by the time the second phase of the plant is operational, 48 of which will be from tankers transporting water from the wells.
While the plant would operate 24 hours per day, she said they could reduce shipping traffic on weekends. However, tanker traffic would have to continue all week for the plant to be viable.
Coun. Larry Spilak said the plant will be a great addition to the area.
He hopes to see the MD’s industrial base continue to expand.
“In keeping with my direction stated during my election campaign, I’m in full support of expanding our industrial base to include Ice River Springs Water and welcome more businesses to consider moving to our industrial corridor,” said Spilak.
Reeve Roy McLean cast the lone opposing vote.
He is concerned about the increase in traffic the project will generate and the impact it will have on the surrounding area.
“I’m concerned about the roads and the extra traffic,” said McLean.
However, he noted the MD will benefit from taxes generated by the project.
McLean said he’s not concerned about water from the MD being bottled and resold in the area or the province at large. However, while the company stated it won’t export water to the U.S., he said he doesn’t want to see the water shipped south of the border at any point in the future.
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