M.D. looking to solutions for Scope Reservoir

By Cole Parkinson
Vauxhall Advance
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

With the on-going discussions on how to best move forward with water supply when the Scope Reservoir to Hays pipeline shuts down for good, the Municipal District of Taber has yet to find a suitable solution.

Talks have been in council chambers over the past several meetings but none have led to any concrete plans.

During their regular meeting on May 22, Claude Durupt, a Hays pipeline user, was a delegation in hopes of securing funding from M.D. council to construct a new dugout.

“There’s a change in the public titles for public use for our parcel 303B and also our parcel 302. We own 302 and 303, in between those two we’d like to put a dugout there being they’re getting rid of the water line that goes from the Scope dam to Hays,” said Durupt during the meeting.

Originally, he had written a letter to M.D. council, but council decided it would be best to have him attend a meeting to express what he was looking for.

The Durupt family has lived on the property since the 1950s and had hooked onto the water line in 1956 where it was looked after by the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration until 1970 when the Bow River Irrigation District took over.

They were supplied raw water on a gravity line from the Hays pipeline and they had paid monthly water bills.

“I come here asking for assistance because it is a substantial amount of money to put forth, it’s $43,000 give or take. Our feeling is that we paid our water bill since the folks have lived in the hamlet all these years and there was infrastructure put in place before there was any changes made for them to be supplied with water. We feel we should get something as well, we don’t believe that anybody should give us for nothing,” added Durupt.

If approved, he also highlighted the fact that the dugout would be filled by a pivot mainline on his property.

He added in the letter sent to council that since the M.D. had collected money on their water bill, some M.D. investment on the estimated $43,572.75 would be more than fair.

“As the M.D. collected payment on Durupt Farms’ water utility for almost 40 years, we feel that they should share accountability in the cost management of the required modifications. For this reason we ask that 50 per cent of the quote, $21,786.37, be covered by the M.D.”

With BRID overseeing the lines for the past several years, the M.D. inquired whether or not Durupt had been in contact with them yet.

Durupt said that not only had they been in contact but there was also a possibility they would be helping out financially.

“They’re looking like they will possibly help me some but we’re waiting on final things there,” he said.

With BRID a part of the decision, M.D. council discussed the possibility of having a meeting between all three parties in order to come to a viable solution to all.

“Obviously we need to talk to BRID and see what their thoughts are,” added Brewin.

The discussion ended with council agreeing to set up a meeting between the M.D., Claude Durupt and BRID at a future time.

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