Three Hills / Trochu / ATCO Proposed Water System Partnership
For more information regarding the February 25, 2010 Public Presentation, please see the following links:
Safe, Affordable, Abundant Water
Three Hills operates a water treatment plant on the Red Deer River that sends safe drinking water to town through a 21-kilometer pipeline. Trochu has received its drinking water from Three Hills for a number of years through a pipeline connecting the two towns.
Building the Three Hills water treatment plant almost 30 years ago was a big change from using wells, and not everyone was in favour. We recognize it today as a visionary accomplishment for the Council and people of the day in responding not only to the need of the time but also to future needs – in fact, to our needs.
It’s critical for our sustainability to have a secure source of safe, affordable and abundant water, as that becomes a scarcer commodity.
Town Council has entered a very through due diligence phase in exploring the possibility of Three Hills becoming majority owner of a larger regional system that would deliver water and wastewater services in partnership with Trochu and ATCO Water. This arrangement could:
· Assure a secure source of safe, abundant, affordable water for the people of Three Hills
· Maintain municipal ownership and control of the water system
· Set water rates the same way as now
· Deliver significant other financial benefits
· Support the community’s many other progressive efforts to achieve new, continuing and sustainable growth for Three Hills.
Council will make sure citizens are kept up to date with developments, and will present any final agreement to the public before a decision is made.
Here’s some early information from a public meeting held last November that you might like to view or download.
Having a Continuing Voice in the Sustainable Future of Three Hills.
Three citizen's committees have been established by Town Council to help achieve the goals of the Three Hills Integrated Sustainability Plan.
- Social Wellness Committee
- Leisure Services Committee
- Economic Growth Committee
It's important for Three hills to grow. Growth is one sign of our community's health and vigor.
But not all growth is sustainable growth. Education, health and infrastructure services can lag behind if growth is too rapid, for example. And we all agree that economic growth and a larger population mustn't take away from social wellness and a safe community. Or that building new recreation facilities can't deplete the resources we need for libraries and the arts in Three Hills, and for keeping roads and water systems in good shape.
Plus, even though we want our community to grow, we don't want to lose our small town atmosphere and sense of neighborhood.
Two years ago the people of Three Hills looked at desirable growth for our town through five lenses of sustainability: social and cultural wellness, economic growth, citizen-engaged governance, environmental responsibility and built infrastructure.
We expressed our vision of this future by writing an Integrated Sustainability Plan that could move us all forward together, from where we are today to where we want to be. This Plan ties together all of our other municipal strategic plans, lays out the principles that guide us, the objectives we have set for ourselves and the path we must follow to achieve them.
Three Citizen's Committees
The Sustainability Plan emphasizes that the people of Three Hills should have a continuing role in putting the Plan into action. That's why Town Council has established three citizens' committees what will ensure the Sustainability Plan shapes our growth.
The Social Wellness Committee will deal with things like education, health care, the environment, housing options, child care, safe communities, citizen engagement, heritage conservation and natural areas.
The Leisure Services Committee has responsibility for parks, open spaces, the walking trail system and recreation facilities and programs including the community centre.
The Economic Growth Committee will take action on commercially developable land, small business incubation, business, training and learning, toursim initiatives, branding and promoting the Town and re-visioning our Main Street and downtown core.
The Town Council invites you to call or email the Town Office and express your interest in serving on one of these citizen's committees. Interviews and committee appointments will be completed early in 2010 so that work can get underway.
Please leave your contact information with Executive Assistant Sherry Reid at (403)443 5822 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Here are some documents about the committees that you might like to view or download: