Town of Athabasca council is investigating a proposal to turn the town's lagoon water into a revenue stream. Swirltex, a company with a patented technology for cleaning wastewater, presented to council during their Nov.
Town of Athabasca council is investigating a proposal to turn the town's lagoon water into a revenue stream.
Swirltex, a company with a patented technology for cleaning wastewater, presented to council during their Nov. 20 meeting, and they proposed to install their technology at no cost.
The scheme would clean lagoon water and sell it to oil and drilling companies, with a split-revenue model between the company and the town. Council voted unanimously to table the matter to gather more information.
Peter Christou, Swirltex owner and Edmonton inventor, said Athabasca has a resource it could be doing more with.
“What Athabasca does have is water they're just projecting back to the river right now. Not really a resource the community is looking to capitalize on, ” Christou said. “But that doesn't mean we can't.
The Swirltex system filters wastewater by putting it through air pressure and a spinning cycle, pushing clean water out the sides of the system while contaminants float by. The system has garnered international attention and was utilized at an Antarctic research station to help treat its water.
Christou's proposal is to test the system in Athabasca, along a longer body of water. The cost for installation of the portable system would be borne by the revenue generated from selling the filtered water, with a portion of that being shared with the town.
Coun. David Pacholok said deal looked good for the town.
“Is there a downside to this? I don't see a downside, ” he asked.
“There's not, ” Christou replied. “There'd be no extra cost, we pay for everything. We just need access to your water. ”
However, when council discussed the matter after the presentation, several possible hurdles were highlighted.
Terry Kosinski, a town utility operator who works on wastewater treatment, said the project might make sense for the town, but there are several things that need to be confirmed.
“First of all is get Alberta Environment approval that we can even do this, ” he said. “Nail down 100 per cent that this project won't have an adverse effect on our system at all. We don't need the trouble. ”
Coun. Michael Arychuk said the project could impact the water cycle. He also questioned the economics of the idea, given the state of the oil and gas industry.
“Drilling costs are down, drilling is down, industry is down, ” Arychuk said. “I don't know if the timing is right. ”
Coun. Ida Edwards said the town should also consider the level of noise the project would produce, and added that the Aspen Regional Water Services Commission would have to be considered.
“They're approaching us as the Town of Athabasca. Technically, our water comes from the water commission, ” she said.
Kosinski said there would need to be further discussion from all parties involved before this idea made progress.
“There needs to be more open discussions with all parties that include Alberta Environment. This is something entirely new to me as an operator and every question that comes up is certainly a good one, ” Kosinski said. “This is uncharted territory. ”
