CHESTERMERE – It’s no secret that the weeds in Chestermere Lake have been an ongoing issue for many years.
So, in the hopes of putting an end to the seaweed problem, the town of Chestermere began exploring new options for controlling weed growth, and came to the conclusion the dredging the lake could be the best possible answer.
Deepening the lake restricts weed growth because sunlight can’t reach the roots of the weeds. The Town held a meeting earlier this year to hear proposals from several companies who were available to do the job. The timeline ranged from months to years, and costs reaching over $10-million.
Town council called on the public for their feedback about the idea of dredging, and opened up a survey from July 1 to Aug. 31. Residents could respond in person, by phone, e-mail, fax, mail or online.
As of Aug. 31, 1095 people responded. As there are 4823 residences currently in Chestermere, this was a response rate of just 23 per cent. Of that 23 per cent, 30 per cent were in favor of council pursuing the dredging, while 70 per cent were not.
Because only 23 per cent of residences participated in the survey, and only 30 per cent of those who did participate were interested in Council pursuing the lake dredging project, it was recommended by staff that Council should not continue pursuing the dredging of the lake for the time being. With the exception of councillor Heather Davies, Council voted in favor of staff’s recommendation, and will not continue the dredging project for the time being.
