The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A deal is expected by the end of the year to have waste from area cottages sent to Flin Flon's secondary sewage treatment plant. That's the word from Brian Wotton of Manitoba Conservation, who said the current destination of the sewage, the cuprus lagoon, is maxing out. "We're full, and once you reach capacity, there's got to be an alternative," he said. The sewage wouldn't be brought to Flin Flon until the new treatment plant, now under construction near Boundary Ave., becomes operational in Sept. 2005. Wotton said Conservation, the City and cottage owners are still working out final details, such as user fees and whether Flin Flon would treat the sewage year-round or in the winter only. It remains feasible for the lagoon to be used during the summer months, when the sunlight serves as a natural treatment agent, and have the winter waste sent to the treatment plant. That's the preferred option of the leadership of the Lake Athapap Cottage Owners Association (LACOA). "The directors of the LACOA are of the view that this procedure would be the most economical way of solving the sewage treatment cost problem while providing excellent treatment of sewage waste," read a recent press release from the organization. See 'Capacity' P.# Con't from P.# Capacity has become an issue because cuprus lagoon was not designed for as many cottages as it now serves. Of the estimated 450 cottages in the Flin Flon region, Wotton said that in the neighbourhood of 300 are utilized year-round. With additional cottage lots being opened up, he said, the lagoon situation would only worsen if no action were taken. Wotton said the cottage owners understand why the forthcoming arrangement is necessary but some are "a little apprehensive" about the yet-unknown user fees. Mayor Dennis Ballard noted that the user fees will help the City operate the new $9.4-million treatment plant, which will have significantly higher operating costs than the existing system. One option initially considered to deal with the lagoon issue was the establishment of a new cell that would accept more sewage, but the price tag was simply too large. "It's not one of our primary options here because of the costs; it is just a huge cost to add another cell," said Wotton, "and if the City has a state-of-the-art treatment plant, we prefer to use it." The Conservation Officer noted that many communities across the province are now dealing with issues relating to the proper disposal of sewage.
