By Harry Brook

Driving around the county, there is a disturbing amount of encroachment into the county road allowance. This can be the case where the ditch is being farmed to within a couple of feet of the actual road, or spray booms having over-sprayed the crop and killed out the grass in the ditch. It also includes the farming of undeveloped road allowances.

County road allowances are surveyed to be exactly 66 feet wide. In most cases, the roads themselves are 6 to 8 metres wide. That’s about 26 feet. That means there is about 20 feet on either side of the road that is county property.

Some producers cultivate and crop right up to within a foot or two of the road surface. This undermines the integrity of the road base and causes problems when we are having to work on the roads. It causes problems with drainage, mowing, weed control and issues with road maintenance and rebuilding. How would you react if your neighbour was farming your land without your permission? You might be a little more than upset. In this case, it interferes with the county’s responsibility of providing safe roads to the public.

On the weed side, there is nothing worse than seeing field sprayers extend their booms into the ditch. It has taken years to establish a good grass catch along the road. A thick, healthy stand of grass prevents weeds from getting established. Accidentally spraying out the grass leaves bare soil, an invitation for weeds to germinate and spread. This becomes a problem both in the ditch and in the field. It’s a case of inattention during spraying giving long-term issues for both the county and adjacent land owner.

Be aware that a road allowance, developed or undeveloped, is the property and responsibility of the county. To preserve the integrity of the road and drainage, a MINIMUM of 1 metre of undisturbed land is needed from the toe of the slope of the road. Any undeveloped road allowance being used for grazing or cropping must still be available for access purposes.

When encroaching on the road allowance, be mindful that there can be many unintended negative consequences. It’s not just you that is affected.

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Harry Brook is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: hbrook@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.

The good folks at Flagstaff Waste have asked us to remind residents to please use the community compost and recycling bins as they are intended. As evidenced in these recent photos, a small minority of residents have not been doing so, resulting in entire bins having to be disposed of in the landfill – which defeats the purpose of the composting and recycling programs.

For further information, visit: www.flagwaste.ca, email office@flagwaste.ca or call Flagstaff Waste at 780-384-3950.

If you are hauling more than 10 loads of 11,797 kg or greater in a 24-hour period to or from the same location within Flagstaff County, then you are required to enter into a Multiple Load Road Use Agreement (MLRUA) with Flagstaff County.

This agreement, which must be obtained at least 48 hours in advance, provides notification of the proposed route, allowing Public Works staff to conduct a pre- and post-haul inspection of the roads. An administration inspection fee of $250 will be charged to the agreement holder. The agreement holder also accepts full responsibility for all damages to the roads.

This applies to the following: energy or oil/gas industry, agriculture industry and private trucking companies.

In addition to entering into an MLRUA with the County, a permit is also required through Roadata Services Ltd., at 1-888-730-3745.

For more information on this policy, please call the Flagstaff County office at 780-384-4100.

Congratulations to Flagstaff County Peace Officer Skyler Zelinski on receiving his 12-year Alberta Emergency Services medal.

The medal presentation was made at the 2020 Alberta Association of Community Peace Officers Conference in Lake Louise. The medal was awarded for 12 years of service as a peace officer.

From left to right: Terri Miller, President of the AACPO; Skyler; Tammy Spink, Manager of the Peace Officer program for the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General ministry; Curtis Zablocki, RCMP K Division Commanding Officer; and Mark Sproule, Vice President of the AACPO.

The Alberta RCMP supports community engagement by providing the public with the tools, resources and information they need to uphold public safety – for themselves and for their communities.

About the Map

The new online map enables the Alberta RCMP to share current criminal incidents with members of the communities they serve across Alberta.

Crime Reduction

The RCMP hopes that the map will help encourage citizens to report suspicious activity to the police which will strengthen their intelligence gathering capability and help them make arrests.

To access the map, click on the graphic above or click HERE.

 

Flagstaff County landowners should be aware of several important factors when it comes to drainage and brush removal.

Did you know that provincial legislation is in place to deal with unauthorized drainage on private property? Did you also know that municipal bylaws and policies exist to address brush removal on right-of-ways?

Please be aware that there is an approval and licensing process prior to commencing these types of activities. Also, please keep in mind that substantial fines may be levied for any contraventions of provincial legislation or municipal bylaws.

The following has been compiled as a helpful guide for landowners.

Unauthorized drainage

All water in Alberta is subject to provincial jurisdiction under the Water Act.

Therefore, all activities impacting a water body – including drainage and infilling – require provincial approval.

This includes ephemeral water bodies (a shallow water body that temporarily contains water after spring snowmelt or a heavy rainfall and typically dries up within a matter of days to weeks).

Under the Water Act, no wetland may be drained or altered without first receiving provincial authorization.

Natural surface water bodies, including their shorelines, riparian areas and upland drainage areas, play an important role in the environment. Unfortunately, this important role is not well recognized by the general public.

These water bodies and their riparian and upland areas provide some of the following functions:

• Absorb, collect and store water to reduce flooding;
• Replenish groundwater to maintain water tables for wells;
• Provide a supply of water for household and livestock use;
• Conserve species, landscapes and habitats by providing food, homes and nurseries for fish and wildlife;
• Act as carbon sinks by storing carbon from the atmosphere;
• Act as mini microclimates (e.g. water cycle);
• Help to filter out sediment, absorb nutrients, remove chemical residues and treat wastewater;
• Control the spread of salts into cropland;
• Provide a source of high quality hay; and,
• Provide a resource for humans (e.g. recreational, medicinal, cultural, archeological, etc.).

Unauthorized drainage can oftentimes have an adverse effect on wetlands, destroying habitat upon which wildlife and pollinators depend. It can ultimately lead to added expenses for residents in the affected municipality.

Under the province’s Water Act, a licence is required to divert and use surface or ground water in Alberta.

The licence identifies the water source, location of the diversion site, volume, rate and timing of water to be diverted, priority of the “water right” established by the licence, and any conditions the diversion must adhere to.

Licences can be issued for temporary diversions up to a maximum of one year, or for longer time periods, depending on the project type.

Activities in or near a wetland may also be subject to the Alberta Wetland Policy. It is the landowner’s responsibility to ensure all regulatory requirements are met prior to commencing work in or near a wetland. Approval officers will work with landowners to ensure all applicable regulatory requirements are considered.

For an application form, visit the Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) website and look under Forms/Applications.

After an application has been submitted, a Water Act licence or a preliminary certificate may be issued. The preliminary certificate is a “promised” water allocation. Once its conditions have been fulfilled, this certificate expires and a licence is issued. Note: A preliminary certificate does NOT authorize an activity or a diversion of water.

A licence may be issued where the water source can supply the needs of the applicant and the diversion of water has no adverse effect on the source, surrounding users or the environment.

Anyone who conducts an activity in a water body without provincial approval or who diverts water without a licence may face enforcement action with a maximum fine of $50,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation. If you observe what you believe to be an illegal water-related activity, contact AEP at 1-800-222-6514.

Unauthorized brush removal

Under the Flagstaff County Traffic Bylaw, “No Person shall use or occupy an Undeveloped Road Allowance, except for the sole purpose of access or travel, where such access or travel does not physically alter or interfere with the Undeveloped Road Allowance, unless a licence authorizing the use or occupation has been issued to the Person pursuant to this Bylaw.”

This prohibition applies to removal of vegetation from undeveloped road allowances, placement of structures, equipment or obstructions on undeveloped road allowances and cultivation, and cropping or grazing on undeveloped road allowances. Violators are subject to a fine of up to $10,000.

Unauthorized removal of brush along an undeveloped right-of-way is part of a larger issue known as agricultural encroachment, which is essentially farming upon developed and undeveloped municipal right-of-ways.

The act of farming upon developed and undeveloped municipal right-of-ways is commonplace across the Flagstaff Region.

Unfortunately, this practice produces several challenges for County crews. For the Public Works department, agricultural encroachment can restrict the ability to provide roadway drainage improvements, as well as interfere with the ability to maintain road allowances. For Agricultural Service crews, encroachment on right-of-ways can create difficulties with mowing and weed control.

From observations by staff and concerns brought forth by the public, the following categories of right-of-way encroachment have been identified (in addition to the unauthorized removal of brush along an undeveloped right-of-way):

• Cropping through an undeveloped right-of-way.
• Cropping onto a developed right-of-way;
• Grazing onto a developed right-of-way where a fence encroaches upon the road allowance;
• Grazing undeveloped right-of-ways;
• Cropping upon a right-of-way after the County has removed brush along the right-of-way to accommodate field access for large agricultural equipment.

As recommended by the Agricultural Service Board, County Council adopted the following three standards in 2017:

• The minimal acceptable standard allowed for cultivation and planting of annual and perennial crops adjacent to a developed road will be one metre set back from the “toe” of the slope of the developed road;
• Any landowner/tenant agriculturally encroaching upon a developed right-of-way will be notified to stay a minimum of one metre from the “toe” of the slope or further dependent upon circumstances;
• In addition, any crops found within the right-of-way as a result of non-compliance by the landowner/tenant will be removed as part of the County’s regular vegetation control program.

For more information, call the Flagstaff County Administration Office at 780-384-4100.

Just in time for Christmas, the Battle River Watershed Alliance is launching a new hardcover coffee table book in which the Flagstaff Region is featured prominently.

Titled the Traversing Terrain & Experience Atlas, this publication is composed of a compilation of stories, art, photography, geography, and interesting facts.

Among the subject material related to the Flagstaff Region and surrounding area:

• “Labour and Economy” highlights the Battle River Rail co-op, and the Town of Hardisty;
• “Arts and Culture” is about the Daysland Palace Theatre;
• The Iron Creek subwatershed section focuses mostly on Flagstaff, including the late poet Robert Kroetsch of the Village of Heisler, and Don and Marie Ruzicka from the Killam area; 
• “Shaping and Making Coal” explores the Paintearth Mine (at the Village of Forestburg) and ATCO;
• “Protected Areas” touches on Big Knife.

Books sell for $35 each. Order one and you can arrange to pick it up at the Flagstaff County office during regular business hours.

For more information, visit: http://battleriverwatershed.ca/atlas.

Flagstaff County uses two logos: the Flagstaff County Corporate logo and the Flagstaff Region Brand logo.

The Flagstaff County Corporate logo prominently features the two primary industries. A sheaf of wheat represents the long-dependable agricultural base, while a silhouetted pump jack symbolizes the strong oil and gas sector. This logo was established in 1998, a year after the County opted to change its name from County of Flagstaff No. 29 and then subsequently held a contest to create a new County crest. This logo is used to market the image and services of the municipality.

Meanwhile, the Flagstaff Region Brand logo features carefree and simple paint strokes that represent the ‘free’ feeling of wide open prairie skies. The long brush stroke represents vast open space. The large upper stroke represents wide open skies. Combined, the effect is loosely that of a “flag” waving in the breeze. The logo was established in 2015 in consultation with Twist Marketing and the Flagstaff Region communities, businesses and residents. The Flagstaff Region Brand logo differentiates the Flagstaff Region from other municipalities within East Central Alberta for the purpose of marketing and communications related to economic development and tourism both inside and outside of the Flagstaff Region.

To ensure consistency in promoting these images, permission is required to utilize either logo for any use outside of this organization.