UPDATE: Tender to de-sludge M.L. lagoons awarded; work to start soon

UPDATE: Residents of Meadow Lake will soon be able to go outside on a windy day without sniffing sewage.

The tender too de-sludge the lagoons, south-west of the city, was recently awarded at cost of nearly $168,000.

Initially the city budgeted $250,000 for the project. City manager, Diana Burton said the money saved will go towards upgrading storm sewers and the bill for the West Service Road, which ran over budget.  

Crews are expected to begin their work either this week or next with the project wrapping up in mid to late September. 

—

Missing Girl

UPDATE: Have you seen Savannah?

Apr 24, 2024

Missing person

Spiritwood RCMP searching for missing woman

Apr 24, 2024

Riding boundaries changing

MP Gary Vidal announces he won't seek re-election

Apr 23, 2024

It’s been nine years since the lagoons harbouring raw sewage outside of Meadow Lake have been cleaned, but city administrators hope to counter the smell and remove the sludge through cleanup efforts later this year.

City Manager Diana Burton said the smell isn’t always apparent from the lagoons southwest of the city, but residents notice the smell when winds blow towards Meadow Lake.

“What it is (the smell) is the sewage lagoons are open cells that our sewage gets pumped in to from houses when we flush our toilets or drain water,” she said. “It goes through the city’s pipes to one of the lift stations and then gets drained into the lagoons from there so it’s essentially raw sewage in the lagoons.”

To counter the smell, the city has budgeted $250,000 to remove the sludge from the lagoons. Work is expected to commence either later this summer or in the fall.

“The tender is being worked on right now and should be released to the public for bids in the next few weeks,” Burton said.

She added the lagoons should be cleaned every few years.

cswiderski@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @coltonswiderski