City officials approve $5 million is funding for the re-routing of industrial waste after residents deal with potentially hazards sewer gases for several years.

 

City Hall has made a decision on how to fix the potential hazardous sewer gas problem on the West Side of the city.

Council has adopted a motion to spend 5 million dollars re-routing the industrial waste created by XL Beef away from the neighbourhood.

City Engineer Ryan Johnson explains what will happen as soon as the ground thaws in the spring. "We would divert it somewhere near 17th avenue, run it down Thatcher Drive to High Street then over to 3rd Avenue. We would size it so that we could allow for future industrial development on the West Side of the city. It would take the industrial waste out of the residential area and due to the increase of capacity to the line, the amount of hydrogen sulfide would be much less and easier for us to control."

Several residents in the neighbourhood affected were on hand for the meeting saying the city must do something now, before someone becomes sick or dies.

The motion was passed by a vote of 6-1 with the source of funding to be discussed during budget deliberations in the weeks to come. Something Councilor Brian Swanson wasn't to pleased with, as he wanted more discussions on the decision before a project was approved. "I know that doesn't satisfy residents who have every right to be upset about what's happening here... but if you're going to start spending 5 million dollars to accommodate a sewer gas problem in a couple of blocks you start asking how many houses could you by so that they're no longer having a sewer gas problem?"

Assuming construction beings in May or June the project will be completed by the end of summer 2007.