(Image Credit: City of Lethbridge, YouTube screenshot)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Drone Bot

City of Lethbridge praising wastewater treatment plant employees for unique solution to persistent problem

Mar 19, 2026 | 4:24 PM

The City of Lethbridge is praising its wastewater treatment plant employees for their unique solution to a persistent problem.

For years, the staff at the Lethbridge Wastewater Treatment Plant have been aware that hydrogen sulphide was slowly eating away parts of the plant, but nothing could be done to treat the issues in the sealed-off channels without exposing the crew to harmful gas.

WWTP Maintenance Lead Sean Young suggested to Senior System Integrator Lee Allen that they should use a drone boat to inspect channels.

Over three months, Allen 3D printed, wired, assembled, and coded an airbot-style drone, spending less than $1000 compared to the tens of thousands of dollars commercial models cost.

“My dad was a heavy-duty mechanic, always welding something in his backyard garage,” recalls Allen. “I grew up using his tools, taking things apart and putting them back together. I got hooked on remote control (RC) projects early and built my first airboat at 12 or 13. It didn’t look great, and it barely worked, but I learned a lot. Since then, I’ve built more RC machines than I can count.”

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

Once the drone was finished, Allen and his team sent it into the channels, not only determining that hydrogen sulphide had done less damage than anticipated but also discovering a different issue they hadn’t been aware of.

A thick buildup of grease and organic matter was clinging to the channel floor and walls; while not catastrophic, it would need to be flushed.

The City of Lethbridge is praising Allen and his team for their unique approach to solving these issues; they have already moved on to their next project, developing a tool to tackle sludge removal in the wastewater lagoons.

Click here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix5zf8c9oJQ] to see a YouTube video detailing Allen’s process of creating the drone.