STATUS OF BOYLE'S WATER DIVERSION FROM SKELETON LAKE

November 15, 2009

The construction of the waterline from Colinton to Boyle is complete. The valve opening ceremony to turn on the water from Athabasca to Boyle is scheduled for November 27, 2009. The contractor is just completing their pressure testing and final checks of the pipeline after which the line will be super-chlorinated to clean it out and then water can start flowing from Athabasca. Boyle anticipates they will be able to receive between 1/3 and 2/3 of their monthly water requirements from the existing Water Treatment Plant in Athabasca starting next month. Once the new Athabasca Water Treatment Plant is complete (August 2010) Boyle will receive all of their water from Athabasca. Alberta Environment has advised us that once Boyle is receiving all of their water from Athabasca that Boyle 's license to divert water from Skeleton Lake will then be revoked.

Since the Alberta Environment enforcement Order went into effect Boyle has reduced their water consumption from 54.6 million gallons in 2007 to an anticipated amount of 38.5 million gallons in 2009. Boyle's water usage had peaked in 2007 to an average of 4.5 million gallons per month but with peaks that summer of as much as 7.8 million gallons in May. SLSA did not find out about the jump in amount of water Boyle was diverting from May through August until September that year at which time we wrote the minister of Environment and demanded he take steps to enforce Boyle's license and get them back to their licensed amount of just under 3.4 million gallons per month. The enforcement order went into place in October 2007 and thereafter Boyle started diverting less water from Skeleton Lake. In 2008 they were averaging 3.6 million gallons per month and this year they have been averaging 3.2 million gallons per month.

It appears that this year will be the first year in the past decade that Boyle will not be in violation of their license. Boyle has requested that the enforcement order now be lifted and SLSA has written the Minister of Environment stating that it would be premature to do so and asking the enforcement order remain in place until Boyle is completely off of the lake next August.

The Aspen Regional Water Services Commission estimates that Boyle will be able to receive between 1 million and 2 million gallons per month from the existing Athabasca water treatment plant once the water starts flowing from Athabasca at the end of this month.

Here's a picture of the current construction status of the Athabasca Water Treatment Plant from the Town of Athabasca's website.

The town of Athabasca's October 2009 newsletter says the Water Treatment Plant will be operational in August 2010.