Open house held on Granum stormwater plan

By Rob Vogt
The Municipal District of Willow Creek recently hosted an open house to provide the public an update and answer questions about the Granum Stormwater Management Plan.
The open house was held at the drop-in centre in Granum on April 2, and led by Craig Pittman, the M.D.’s director of infrastructure.
It attracted more than 20 people interested in the project.
In 2023, The municipality successfully completed Phase 1 of the Granum Stormwater Management Plan project which included minor grading and culvert work near Railway Avenue and Highway 519. Natural storm infrastructure was utilized to aid in controlling flow velocity through a drainage course leading from Granum to an outlet into Willow Creek. The total length of this drainage course is more than seven kilometres.
Phase 2 will include the construction of a stormwater control facility, that is a pond, with a trail system. The end result will be a functioning stormwater management facility with park-type features. The proposed location is south of Highway 519 and east of Railway Avenue in Granum.
Phase 2 is expected to be built in the 2024 construction season.
Much of the discussion at the open house was about those park-type features.
Suggestions were made ranging from trees and shrubs to statues, plants and much more.
Pittman said anything is possible if there are members in the community willing to take on these kinds of initiatives.
“This is a facility for the community,” he said.
Pittman stressed any proposals would be brought to the M.D. council for consideration and approval.
Someone asked what is at the bottom of the pond when it is empty.
Pittman responded aquatic plantings are being proposed.
Another question was what will happen to the pads in the area that were part of the grain elevators that once stood there.
Pittman said they will be taken out completely.
There was also a question about why the M.D. would not service adjacent lots for development, if the ground was already being opened to create the stormwater management system, that is ditches and drainage.
Pittman noted the type of earthwork is different for both types of activities, but added it could be looked at down the road.
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, through the Alberta Community Resilience Program is funding 90 percent of the total estimated costs of the Granum Storm Water Management and Flood Mitigation project.
The total budget for the project is $1,614,000, with Phase 2 estimated at just under $700,000.