Claresholm town council takes no action on request for air monitoring station

By Rob Vogt

The Town of Claresholm will take no action on a request to install an air monitoring station on town property for one year.
At its July 14 meeting, town council discussed the request, made by Cynthia Wannamaker, who is the town’s representative on the Calgary Regional Airshed Zone.
She appeared as a delegation at council’s June 23 meeting to provide an update.
As part of its membership, Wannamaker said, the Town of Claresholm was given a purple air monitor, which has been located at the town office building.
That monitor uploads data to the Internet every few minutes, so anyone can know immediately what the outside air conditions are like.
Wannamaker stressed a person cannot always tell the air quality by smelling the air. She cited an example earlier in the day when the air was smelling fresh and clean but the monitor indicated people with sensitivity to pollutants would be affected.
Wannamaker also explained the monitor only measures particles 2.5 microns in diameter, because particles of this size can cause the most damage to lungs. However, it does not detect what the particle could be made up of, so it could be mold, soot, bacteria or something else.
She pointed out a lot of chemical agents can affect breathing, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone.
The Calgary Region Airshed Zone collects data on these pollutants through four air-monitoring stations and one mobile station.
There are four permanent stations with three in Calgary, and the fourth in Airdrie.
However, the information they gather may not be accurate for problems in this area.
That’s why there is a portable station available to all members of the Calgary Region Airshed Zone allowing areas to get better analysis.
Wannamaker said this portable air-monitoring station is being made available to Claresholm for the 2025-2026 year.
She was asking town council to decide on a possible location for this air-monitoring station.
There is no charge, but a power source must be provided.
Information provided to council outlined the advantages to having this station in Claresholm.
It gives a good baseline of air quality in this community, particularly valuable if new industries, such as coal mines in the Eastern Slopes, affect the future air quality.
The town would have a baseline profile of the air in 2025-2026 to compare it to.
It can be used in promotional materials for the town if the air quality is good.
If there are problems with air quality, the town can begin to address them. The information gathered also adds to the data across Alberta for use by researchers, governments and industries.
Abe Tinney said, on July 14, the air monitor requires 50-amp power.
He also noted the airshed zone came to administration but, when administration said no based on the cost of power, the airshed zone chose to ask council directly.
Coun. Rod Kettles said they initially talked about locating the monitor at the Centennial campground, but he was concerned about the security of the monitor.
What about the town compound on the east side of town, he asked.
Tinney responded that location is more secure, but the airshed zone needs a place away from buildings.
Jace McLean, the town’s director of infrastructure, was in attendance, and added the town yard was a thought but there is too much traffic and dusty roads.
“They’re looking for wide open green spaces,” he said.
The first choice was the campground by the ball shed, but McLean said he did not think they could run power to that location.
Three other locations have been identified and are being looked into.
However, wherever the location, hooking up 50-amp service will be expensive with the cost of wiring it in and providing power for a year.
Tinney said if council is interested, administration can bring in possible locations and pricing. If council is uninterested, they can give it a pass.
Coun. Mike Cutler said he thought it would be as simple as parking a truck and plugging in the monitor. He does not have the appetite to spend money on upgrades for a project lasting one year. He is not interested in the town paying out of pocket for this monitor.
Coun. Craig Zimmer agreed with Cutler. He also pointed out the existing purple air monitor hasn’t flagged any concerns.
Mayor Brad Schlossberger said he was not in favour.
Coun. Kieth Carlson said he was interested in information from the monitor, but not at this cost.
In the end, council took no action and accepted the request for information.