By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Progress celebrated on Malloy Drain

Dec 8, 2017 | 3:11 PM

COALDALE – Officials from the Town of Coaldale, County of Lethbridge, St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) and provincial government celebrated the start of phase 2A of the Malloy Drain Stormwater Management project Friday, Dec. 8.

The project will see the creation of a man-made wetland – with ponds on either side of Highway 3, just west of Coaldale – that should stem significant flooding issues that have followed large storms over the last few decades. It’s also expected to improve the water quality of the storm water collected, by filtering it through vegetation.

“The first thing the water is going to hit is a new design from Source 2 Source out of Calgary,” explained Kevin Viergutz, Malloy Drain project manager for the Town of Coaldale. “It’s called a Nautilus sediment pond, and the water will go around in a circular fashion and the velocity of the water will slow down and the sediment will fall out. And then it will go through a series of treatment marshes and fens that will improve the water quality, and then into the main pond, which has got some marsh components as well.”

From there, the storm water will be let out in a controlled rate into the existing water-wildlife preserve lakes and Malloy Drains into Stafford Lake.

Viergutz noted that the project will help compensate for the challenge created by extensive irrigation use throughout the region.

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“Typical dryland farmland, when it rains the soil absorbs all that moisture. Here, the ground is already wet from irrigation, and so when the rainfall hits it runs off,” Viergutz stated. “I’ve seen water run off the field west of Evergreen Estates two-inches deep. This is really going to make a big difference for us.”

George Lohues, vice-chair of the SMRID board, said collaboration between all parties was a major part of reaching this point, calling it a model for future projects in the future.

“The wetland aspect addresses so many concerns for us, mainly how quickly water enters our works and the quality of the water that enters our works,” he explained. “Those two things are very key to us. If water comes too quickly, then our canals are not designed for that.

“The quality is a big deal for us because we use that water, both farms and communities, further down the line,” Lohues continued. “It’s not just farms, it’s also communities that take our water, and also recreation. Our reservoirs are used for recreation, and nobody wants dirty water. Environmentally it’s bad, and it’s also bad for health.”

According to Viergutz, it’s anticipated that the storage pond on the north (225,000 cubic metres of storage) side of Highway 3 will be completed by July, with the one on the south (75,000 cubic metres of temporary storage) side following in August.

In total, the project will cost $5.4-million, with $4.8-million coming from a provincial grant under the Alberta Community Resilience Program. The Town of Coaldale, County of Lethbridge and SMRID are each contributing $360,000.