CANMORE – An update to Canmore’s wellhead protection area could see the zone double in size and the number of properties significantly increase.
The work, which is ongoing by Town of Canmore staff and consultants, would aim to protect wells in the community from possible contaminants to the local water supply.
“The intent of defining wellhead protection area is to protect drinking water from contamination,” said Soren Poschmann, a hydrogeologist and environmental project manager with ISL Engineer.
A staff report noted the Town’s drinking water supply wells are adjacent to Railway Avenue near Elevation Place, with it being drawn from an unconfined aquifer. However, it added it is “vulnerable to contamination from stormwater runoff and hazardous materials in the upstream catchment area.”
An additional groundwater well was installed in 2014 at a depth of about 60 metres, which replaced a shallow well.
When asked by Coun. Tanya Foubert, Brian Kinzie, a municipal engineer with the Town, said a contaminant was detected in 2014, which led to the drilling of a deeper well and there have been no contaminants detected since.
Coun. Wade Graham questioned if the protection area could be moved, which would also mean well sites would be changed.
“It’s where we’re established,” said Kinzie. “It’d be relatively expensive to create a new source. … Prevention is so less expensive than cleaning up after an event, so that’s the goal is to make sure we have protections in place to protect the water source rather than needing to establish a new one.”
Poschmann said the aquifer is relatively shallow and can have fast travel times, though moving wells creates “a lot of complexities on top of money.”
“You get closer to the river, you pull directly in river water versus where we are now there’s a bit of lag time. It’s a big widespread aquifer,” he said.
The staff report noted surface water is drawn from the Rundle Forebay and two groundwater wells, with the Town having two pumphouses.
A protective area around drinking water supply well was created in 1999 – and based on the 1993 United States Environment Protection Agency’s Wellhead Protection: A Guide for Smaller Communities – and additional studies were recently finished to have drinking water sources further protected, according to the report.
The 2020 Alberta Guide to Source Water Protection Planning outlines six steps such as involving key groups, creating a vision, setting goals and implementing a plan.
The 2016 Municipal Development Plan recommended a study be undertaken to outline the wellhead protection boundaries and review land use bylaw regulations.
A capital project was approved in the 2022 budget to create a groundwater model and review the protection area.
“Wellhead protection planning is intended to protect groundwater resources and associated water supplies from potential contamination,” stated the staff report from Kinzie. “Contaminants can enter groundwater from a number of sources, including hydrocarbons associated with motor traffic, commercial and industrial land uses, chemical spills, leaking underground or above-ground storage tanks, and improperly managed hazardous waste.”
From 2027-30, it’s expected regular reviews of the protection plan would be created and an understanding of the potential contamination concerns from rail services.
Foubert noted in the past Canadian Pacific Kansas City will provide municipal council’s information on types of materials transported through a community in a closed session.
“I would definitely be interested in having that type of a briefing,” she said.
A 2023 study by Hatfield Consultants LLP recommended a revised wellhead protection area, which would add Bow Valley Trail to the protected area. It would also expand further into downtown and Teepee Town, including nine land use districts to increase to 18 districts.
The area would be made up of 37 per cent commercial, 24 per cent future development, 19 per cent conservation and others such as residential, industrial and public use.
The 1999 protection area had 201 individual properties, while the new capture zone would have 455.
The study also recommended seven actions such as performing a contaminant inventory of properties in the boundary, reviewing and updating prohibited land uses in the boundary, establishing regular reviews of the protection plan and building monitoring wells to provide warning of impact on groundwater quality.
Kinzie said budget requests would be included for council consideration for the 2025.
He said monitoring of groundwater level is done by the Town’s engineering department, so monitoring of wells would either be done by Town staff or EPCOR. However, with it outside the Town’s contract with EPCOR, negotiations would have to take place if Town staff weren’t able to take on the work.
EPCOR manages the Town’s storm network and the delivery of drinking water, while dry wells and culverts are the responsibility of the Town’s streets and road staff, Kinzie said, noting the two are often interconnected.
An update to the land use bylaw is also being recommended to expand the boundary and increase the prohibited uses. Existing prohibited uses in the area are vehicle and equipment repair, hazardous waste recycling depot, laundry facility and gas bar and service station unless a specific district has regulations to allow a use in the protection area.
The staff report noted a land use bylaw update wouldn’t likely come until 2025 or 2026, which would involve consultation with BOWDA and informing impacted people of possible changes. The Engineering Design and Construction Guidelines would also be updated, while the 2005 stormwater management plan would be evaluated and monitoring wells be built that would require budget approval.
“If you know about it and can act on it quickly, then you can do something about it. It’s why the wellhead protection is a risk identification and mitigation measure,” Poschmann said. “It does buy time to be able to react and that’s the basis of the monitoring well. If we can establish these wells at the depths, the Town can take it into its own hands to monitor and test the water to ensure there’s nothing coming into the wells.”
