- The agenda for the meeting was approved on motion by Craig Palmer and carried.
- Approval of the Minutes of the September 18, 2024 and October 30, 2024 board meetings were approved on motion by Rod Wendorff and carried.
Business Arising
- O&M Report and AIM Project Update:
Cody shared a slideshow of pictures taken over the last month of repairs & maintenance and pipelining activities. Jason reported on the status of each project as follows:
9 Mile & North (IRP) – Construction is taking longer than expected because the trench is 4.5-5 meters deep. Unfortunately, most of the trench will be a deep cut.
Gravity Pressure Pipeline System (“GPS”) (AIM) – The New Zealand and Cal-Val trips were fantastic and will be discussed later in the meeting. WBES met with Stantec to discuss their review of the GPS project. Overall, they felt the project was designed appropriately, but they had a few questions and still need to complete the transient wave analysis. They hope to have it completed by mid January 2025.
New Dayton CPR Crossing (IRP 2393) – CPR’s third-party engineer requested that the clay plug on the south side of the crossing be redone. Rather than CPR or their contractor completing the work, Cody and the RID staff were allowed to replace the plug with a clay plug. CPR provided flagging for the project. The project is now completed and the final reports are being prepared. We expect to have invoices within the next 6 weeks.
8-2 (Internally Funded Project) – Nothing to report.
Chin Chute Rehabilitation (IRP 2392) – Nothing to report.
Aerial Photos – We expect to receive the photos any day and then we will have our GIS system updated.
- Snowpack Report / Water Supply Forecast / RID Diversions:
The Board reviewed the snowpack and reservoir graphs on the Alberta Rivers website.
- Irrican Update:
John and Jason attended a quarterly Irrican meeting yesterday, December 17 and report the following:
- The Chin plant controls are being upgraded this winter;
- The financials are being prepared for the year end audit;
- Before year end adjustments, Irrican has approximately $2M net income before taxes; and,
- The ebar battery project is going well and should be operational this coming season.
Jason provided a timeline of important RID financial dates over the next few months, including:
MONTH | ITEM |
January | Prep YE for auditorsComplete YE progress certificatesCOLA ReviewPrep for AGMWinter party |
February | Prep for AGMAudit field workBudget prepAIDA Conference |
March | Audit reviewAGM |
April | Annual resolutions |
New Business
- Directors’ Items:
The directors reported that they have received several phone calls from irrigators concerned about AEPA opening the Water Act for review. Irrigators can fill out the surveys on the AEPA website or email AEPA directly to express their concerns.
- IRP 3 Year Plan:
Jason presented the IRP 3-year plan. There are no new year 1 projects because the RID will be focusing on finishing our existing IRP projects and our remaining AIM project, the GPS – Welling Phase.
On motion made by John McKee and carried, the RID Board approves the IRP 3-year plan as presented.
- 2025-2030 Construction Timeline:
Jason reviewed the RID construction timeline for the next 5 years as follows:
Winter Season | Projects |
2025 | 9 Mile – Sugimoto line New Dayton ditch cleaning 8-2 Pipeline Headgate and 300m pipelining for GPS |
2026 | GPS – Install supply lines |
2027 | GPS – Install supply lines |
2028 | GPS – Install header and PRV vaults |
- AEPA Town Hall Report:
Jason and John attended the AEPA town hall held in Fort Macleod. The meeting was attended by irrigators in southern Alberta. There was approximately 300 people in attendance. Most irrigators expressed frustration that the event format was a mix and mingle rather than a presentation and Q&A format.
- Director Election for 2025 – Raymond Area:
The Raymond area director election is scheduled for 2025. It will be advertised in the Westwind Weekly and on the RID website on January 9, 2025. Nomination forms must be submitted to the district by February 13, 2025. If an election is required, it will be held on March 6, 2025.
- Cal-Val Trip Report:
Jason, Cody and John reported on their trip to the Cal-Val factory in California. The trip was fantastic. The Cal-Val team showed in detail how the valves work and how they can be used in our GPS system. It was a very positive experience and all indicators show that the valves will work in our system. They also provided Darin Wilde with a program to help determine the size of valves to place in our system.
- NZ Trip Report:
Jason, Cody and John report on their trip to the Central Plains Water Company in NZ. The trip was very successful. The district was very happy to host our group. They went above and beyond to explain their district, their system, and their challenges and strategies. They were able to show us how to preform maintenance on the valves, how to setup the PRV vaults, they answered our question about the need for power at each valve, and they helped us see the need for a Scada system. The trip was very worthwhile. It was also very interesting to discuss the challenges they are facing and the strategies they have implemented to deal them. Jason sent them a thank you gift basket for all they did for us. The big take aways from the trips are:
- The GPS project can be done and is worth completing
- NZ irrigation is facing similar challenges to Alberta irrigation
- A 25, 50, 100 year strategic plan would be a good idea
- Maintenance is becoming a bigger issue and something we need to be prepared for
- Next Meeting Date
The next meeting is set for January 15, 2025
Motion to adjourn – There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 12:30 pm on motion by Craig Palmer.