History Of SLSA's Water Management Efforts

Summer 2004

SLSA began in 2004 as a variety of grass root groups of lake users from the Skeleton Lake area.

Winter 2004/2005

These grass root groups came together and began working with Alberta Environment in the winter of 2004/05.

April 21, 2005

1^st Town Hall meeting organized by Hugh Harper, Peter Sherman and John Wowk.

May 27, 2005

Hugh Harper meets with Alberta Environment staff to discuss exactly what steps need to be taken to obtain a license to divert water into Skeleton Lake.  The process is explained and a letter is promised. 

June 10, 2005

Alberta Environment sends a letter to Mr. Harper outlining the procedure to apply for a license to divert water under the Water Act.  They provide an application form for the license and advise it must be accompanied by an engineering feasibility report and a biological assessment.  A Water Act fact sheet is attached.

August 2005

SLSA is incorporated as a not-for-profit society.

September 2005

The SLSA website goes live in the Fall of 2005.

June through October 2005

SLSA conducts technical reviews and begins to gather information to accompany the application.

October & November 2005

Alberta Environment mentions a water management plan for the first time.

November 14, 2005

SLSA meets with Alberta Environment to discuss what needs to be done and determine what they will require in addition to the application and reports previously suggested.

November & December 2005

SLSA starts developing a water management plan after reviewing all of the relevant Water for Life documentation and determining what needs to be in such a plan.  Alberta Environment advises us that they will assist the SLSA in putting together the water management plan and tell us they will provide us with a list of stakeholders that we should involve in the consultation.

February 9, 2006

SLSA meet with Alberta Environment once again to discuss what remains to be done and to work towards completing everything they will need.  Alberta Environment still have not provided us with the list of stakeholders they promised and SLSA pushes them to provide that information.

February 22, 2006

The first draft of the Terms of Reference for the Watershed Management Plan are completed.  We provide that to Alberta Environment and we are advised that we have to meet with the stakeholders, and AENV will give us a list of who they consider are the most relevant stakeholders.  Once we receive the list, we are surprised to see it consists only of the four municipalities being the County, Boyle, Mewatha Beach and Bondiss.  The environmental groups, government departments, farmers, Ducks Unlimited etc. that Alberta Environment had been discussing as stakeholders are no longer on the list of stakeholders and it is a very short list of just these four municipalities.

March 10, 2006

Abdi Siad-Omar of Alberta Environment sets up the first meeting of this group and calls for representatives from the four municipalities and SLSA to attend.

March 29, 2006

AENV trims TOR document down to about one-half of its original size and sends it out to the five party group.

March 30, 2006

SLSA representatives attend the first meeting and find out that suddenly the Watershed Stewardship Group seems to be these 5 organizations and are left wondering how an initiative that SLSA commenced and has been working on for 18 months has been hijacked. 

April 18, 2006

SLSA becomes a registered charity with Canada Revenue Agency.

May 3, 2006

Second meeting of five party group.
We try to work within this group for two meetings and determine that the effort under this regime is doomed to fail because the County is pro-development and increasing their tax revenue and the Village of Boyle is primarily interested in Skeleton Lake as a source for their water supply.

May 30, 2006

Meeting cancelled at municipalities request.

June 16, 2006

Third meeting of five party group.  SLSA present their plan for development of the WMP by SLSA to the 5 party group at a meeting in Boyle.  SLSA proposes they do the WMP and consult with other four.  Everyone agrees except the County Councillors who say it seems like a reasonable plan but they have no authority to make any decisions. 

September 22, 2006

TOR approved.

September 22, 2006

Alberta Environment appoints SLSA as the group responsible for the development of the Skeleton Lake Watershed Management Plan.

July 2007

Aquality Environmental Consultants complete a Biological Assessment of Water Quality for SLSA.

August 23, 2007

Aquality Environmental Consultants complete a State of the Watershed Report for SLSA.

November 20, 2007

SLSA has a Hydrological Assessment of Skeleton Lake Report completed by WorleyParsons Komex.

September 29, 2007

SLSA sends a demand letter to the Minister of Environment demanding he stop Boyle from further violation of Boyle’s license to divert water from Skeleton Lake.  Boyle exceeded their licensed volumes for 10 years and SLSA threatens legal recourse if Alberta Environment doesn’t deal with this problem.

October 18, 2007

Alberta Environment issues an enforcement order against the Village of Boyle obligating them to comply with their license.  This is the first time in Alberta history that Alberta Environment has issued an enforcement order against a small municipality.

Throughout 2008

SLSA continues to work on efforts to have Boyle find an alternate water supply.  Boyle finally agrees to go on the regional water system during the Spring of 2008.

March 2009

Tenders are awarded for the water pipeline to Boyle from Colinton.

November 23, 2009

The Watershed Management Plan is presented to Alberta Environment.

March 2010

Boyle begins to receive approximately one-half of their water supply from the regional system.

May 20, 2010

The Watershed Management Plan is approved by Alberta Environment.

October 2010

Boyle starts receiving all of their water from the regional system.

November 2010

Sameng Inc. provides an engineering feasibility report on the viability of Crickett Lake as a source for a Temporary Diversion License (TDL) to pump water into Skeleton Lake.

December 13, 2010

TDL application is presented to Alberta Environment in a meeting with Stephen Yeung.