The Town of Bonnyville is in the process of scheduling delegations with the MD of Bonnyville, City of Cold Lake and Minister of Environment Diana McQueen to discuss a permanent solution for drinking water in Bonnyville.
Town Coun. Gene Sobolewski and Deputy Mayor John Irwin both sit on The Bonnyville Water Committee.
They are scheduled to appear before the MD on Dec. 12 during a regular council meeting. They have also set up a meeting with the minister on Nov. 13 at the legislature. They are still negotiating with the City of Cold Lake to schedule a meeting.
"The delegation we have with the minister is just for the Town of Bonnyville and we're there to talk about water," said Sobolewski.
"We're hoping to keep this moving forward," said Irwin, stating the urgency of organizing these meeting before Christmas.
"There's no one on our (Town of Bonnyville) council that's looking for a short-term solution, we're looking for a long-term solution for our community. There's many different little fixes but we've got a very poor water source here and we need something different," said Irwin.
The City of Cold Lake is also dealing with Alberta Environment, which Sobolewski said has hindered the process slightly, since Cold Lake is also waiting for answers.
"They're waiting for a response from Alberta Environment in regards to Cold Lake with the water consumption. They want answers to their questions," said Sobolewski.
He and Irwin have been in discussion with the City of Cold Lake and are hopeful they can reach a solution for Bonnyville water soon.
"I'm very pleased so far, the progress has been very positive and I'm very happy with the conversation so far. I'm looking forward to bringing ahead and getting some decent water here in Bonnyville," said Sobolewski.
In December when Irwin and Sobolewski go before the MD of Bonnyville, Irwin said the goal is that both municipalities can work together in creating a plan for clean water for the town.
"Gene and I will be there Dec. 12 and we'll be making a presentation and seeing what opportunities there are for us to work together," he said.
Until a solid plan can be put in place, Irwin said tests would continue to be conducted to ensure Bonnyville water is safe.
"We're not going to quit testing. Once we realized the broad scope of the problem, we realized though it cost money to get these tests done, they need to be done. We need to be vigilant of what our quality of water is and that's what we are going to keep doing," said Irwin.
He explained the process is expected to be a lengthy one but the Town will continue to prioritize water safety.
"In the meantime, we need to keep ensuring that our plant is running well and the drinking water that's coming in to town is fit to drink. That's the number of priority for us."
