Town Council up in arms over provincial delays

Provincial bureaucrats and stringent new regulations are holding up a flood mitigation plan organized by Town Council to hasten the flow of the intersecting Highwood River, according to Coun. Tim Whitford.

He said the town’s proposal to remove sand and gravel bar deposits from the river (which prevent heavy water buildup and allow the Highwood to flow more freely) will mostly likely be delayed because of concerns from the Environment Ministry and the federal Fisheries and Oceans department about the impact the faster water flow will have on the spawning seasons of two different fish species.

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Province says ‘no’ to dredging sand in Sylvan Lake

The province has thrown cold water on any plan to dredge up a new beach in Sylvan Lake, saying it would not be allowed.

However, sun and sand lovers will have another option as town council intends to go ahead with a $25,000 plan to create a new beach in an open area at the southeast corner of the pier.

About 15 to 20 cm of sand will be laid down to create the artificial beach, which will be ready for this swimming season.

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Huge weigh scale bound for Grande Prairie

The largest truck weigh scale in the province, and possibly the country, will soon be arriving in the Swan City.

Sand Source Services – which provides fracturing sand to the oilfield industry – is bringing in the scale as part of the company’s expansion to a third city plant in the spring.

The flattop steel deck scale is 180 feet long and 12 feet wide, doubling the length of the most common size truck weigh scale, which is usually 90 feet long and 11 feet wide, said Howard Pettigrew, sales manager at Precision Scale.

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