Rural Municipality of McKillop Regional Wastewater System Study

The Rural Municipality of McKillop No. 220 ― in partnership with the Town of Strasbourg; the Resort Villages of Island View, Glen Harbour, Sunset Cove and Pelican Pointe; and the 20 organized and unorganized hamlets within the municipality ― will assess the feasibility of upgrading or establishing a new wastewater treatment facility within the region in order to achieve improved effluent standards and meet, at a minimum, the 2012 Wastewater Systems Effluents Regulations. The Town of Strasbourg must upgrade its current one-cell wastewater system, which no longer meets Saskatchewan Environment regulations. At the same time, the continued growth of lakeshore development has created an additional need for a regional wastewater system in the rural municipality. A project steering committee, with membership from all partner communities, was established to pursue solutions that will meet both rural septic and town sewage needs for the 1,400 residents, as well as accommodate future growth. The study will assess the technical and financial feasibility of a range of traditional and non-traditional treatment options, including tertiary treatment elements, to address the needs of the Town of Strasbourg as well as the lakeshore developments along the Last Mountain Lake. A tertiary treatment system is expected to deliver higher water quality, promote watershed health, and allow for increased and safer recreational activity on the lake. The proposed study will also consider the challenges related to land-spreading of septic waste in the rural section. The study will take into account pending changes to provincial wastewater regulations, sustainable agricultural practices, and shifting population demographics in the region. Study results and lessons learned could provide valuable information to other municipalities with a similar demography and geography. (Project description from original funding application)