Rocky View County is set to start work on a solution to Bragg Creek’s wastewater problems.

Construction on the first phase of a wastewater treatment plant for the hamlet will begin this year.

Currently homes in the hamlet use septic systems and the commercial areas are tied to a pump out system, which collects wastewater that is trucked to Calgary to be treated.

Charlie Holschuh, owner of The Bavarian Inn in Bragg Creek said he can hardly wait until a new wastewater treatment plant for the hamlet is up and running.

Byron Reeman, acting director of infrastructure and operations for the county, said the plant will be a big benefit for the hamlet not only providing residents with sewer service, but also preventing contamination of the Elbow River from wastewater in the ground.

“We view it as trying to provide a better service and also trying to be an environmental steward to clean up the river,” he said.

It will also mean businesses in the hamlet won’t have to pay to have wastewater hauled to Calgary for treatment.

It’s anticipated the plant will be up and running by March 2011.

Once complete it’s expected the first phase will be able to handle 100 cubic metres of water per day.

Reeman said this will encompass about 100 households as well as the commercial complex. The hamlet has a population of about 1,300 people.

The plant will be built between Wintergreen Road and the former Solid Waste Transfer Station. The road to the former station will be used for access to the plant and trees along the road will be preserved to provide screening for the site.

Treated water will be put into the Elbow River downstream from the plant.

The first phase will collect sewage from the north portion of the hamlet including the commercial area and residences east of the Elbow River up to the border of the Tsuu T’ina Reserve.

Underground sewage collection infrastructure will be installed along back alleys in the hamlet.

Future expansion of the system is possible as funds become available, but nothing is scheduled at this time. Once the first phase is up and running, Reeman said the County will look at how to expand it to make the biggest difference in the area.

“There’s an entire phased strategy to deal with water and wastewater for the entire Bragg Creek area. What you see in terms of phase one is just getting the strategy started,” he said.

The $3 million construction costs for the facility are being covered by a grant that is shared equally between the federal, provincial and municipal governments,

The construction costs will not have any impact on taxes.

However, it will cost residents and businesses $4,000 to tie into the system and restaurants and similar establishments can expect to spend about $1,000 to install a grease trap.

Once the system is operational, residents and businesses will receive regular utility bills.

Once the plant is completed, Reeman said its operation will be contracted out to a private company that will report to the County.

He said there are no estimates of what the utility rates will be.

Charlie Holschuh, owner of the Bavarian Inn, has been fighting for 20 years to get a sewer system installed in the hamlet.

“I can hardly wait for this to happen,” he said.

Holschuh said the high cost of trucking out sewage has been a problem for years. He pays $350 per load each week to have sewage trucked out from the restaurant, a cost that ultimately gets passed on to customers. He hopes to be able to pass on the savings.

Holschuh also said the existing system has been a headache to deal with.

However, he yet doesn’t know if his business or others along White Avanue away from the main commercial centre will be tied into the system when it’s operational.

“All the business districts should be tied in at the same time… The way I see it, it doesn’t really look like the businesses right here on White Avenue will be tied in at the same time,” said Holschuh.

Louise-Marie Eagar, Bragg Creek and Area Chamber of Commerce president, said it’s something that’s long overdue and it will also help to eliminate contamination of groundwater and the Elbow River from septic systems.

“We’re thrilled that this is finally going forward. This has been a contentious issue for a number of years,” she said. “The sooner everyone can be on track and have water and sewer, the sooner the river can be cleaned up.”

She would’ve liked to have seen the County complete the whole system at once, rather than in phases, but said it’s still a good start.

Eagar, a former restaurant owner in the hamlet, said it will help the businesses save money. It cost her between $15,000 and $25,000 per year to have the wastewater from her restaurant trucked out to the city.

“Four thousand dollars is a drop in the bucket,” she said.

As well, Eagar said most restaurants would already have a grease trap and any requirement to install one wouldn’t be much of a problem unless what is in place doesn’t meet standards.

As for residents, she said their property values will go up with a connection to a sewer system and this should help to counter hook-up costs.

Eagar doesn’t think it will open the doors to additional development in the hamlet either.

‘There’s no place to grow in Bragg Creek. The boundaries are the boundaries,” she said.

As well, she said it would likely be expensive to connect with country residential developments in the area.

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