Here is some video of what used to be our land and is now a dilution pond. We know that it is about 3 ft at the edges and are planning on taking the canoe out as soon as my better half's back heals.
Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Fight Continues
So two weeks ago we got a call from the Village of Prud'homme informing us that we needed to register with the Watershed Authority to get assistance with the flooding situation. Thankfully my better half was home that day so he called up the Watershed Authority and registered. Great. He then also talked to our RM Councilor Travis. Travis came over to take a look around (Travis has already talked to our neighbors and at this point in time it was believed that they were getting a berm built around the end of their yard that would protect not only their bins, house, and yard but also our well from the poop water (yes, we are calling it the poop water now so we can distinguish it from the regular flood water)).
The following actions were discussed:
- building a berm around the back of our yard to protect us from the poop water
- building a trench from where the fresh water flood is happening, through our field (pretty much right across the middle) over to where the poop water is to hopefully prevent flooding in our yard
- building a trench through an approach that goes into our field to allow our ditches to drain down to the poop water
- tear out our entire yard (not the house) and bring in 2 feet of top soil to raise the whole place to avoid further flooding (that would be done by the watershed, and sounds very scary)
Alrigthy, well at least ideas are being tossed around, that's better then nothing. The same day a lady polling for Brad Trost calls and asks if we have any issues we would like to raise, well, you picked the right day to call for issues lady. She gets the whole story. At the end she says we have to talk to our MLA first and gives us the phone number. Fine, we can do that (been meaning to anyway but we didn't know who she was).
So, a week goes by and pretty much nothing happens. We keep calling people for updates and nothing. A guy from the Watershed Authority was at our house and Jaxie tried to bite him (not exactly helping our cause) so he had to take pictures from inside his truck. But still no news. Alright people, the ground is thawing and turning into mud, if we're going to do some of this stuff we had better get it done!
3 days ago we find out that our neighbors are not getting a berm. The Watershed Authority decided that they would not build a berm to protect them (and our well) from the poop water. What?!? That sounds like total crap to me! And if they aren't going to build them a berm are we going to get any help! The poop water is practically in their yard (yes, our yard is under water but at least it's the clean water, not the poop water, for now anyway).
So I guess the plan is now to get an email together with pictures and video to send to the MLA, call the Watershed Authority and the RM Councilor Travis to see where they are at, and start considering contacting local news crews. And now you know what I know.
PS. The town of Prud'homme had a water main break on Saturday night and could not find it. The town has not had water since! They had to start trucking water in for the village people! Karma, I think so! To try to track it down they asked the villagers to report an "suspicious" puddles! What the hell is a "suspicious" puddle? And how can you tell it apart from all the regular puddles laying around since it is the middle of spring.
The following actions were discussed:
- building a berm around the back of our yard to protect us from the poop water
- building a trench from where the fresh water flood is happening, through our field (pretty much right across the middle) over to where the poop water is to hopefully prevent flooding in our yard
- building a trench through an approach that goes into our field to allow our ditches to drain down to the poop water
- tear out our entire yard (not the house) and bring in 2 feet of top soil to raise the whole place to avoid further flooding (that would be done by the watershed, and sounds very scary)
Alrigthy, well at least ideas are being tossed around, that's better then nothing. The same day a lady polling for Brad Trost calls and asks if we have any issues we would like to raise, well, you picked the right day to call for issues lady. She gets the whole story. At the end she says we have to talk to our MLA first and gives us the phone number. Fine, we can do that (been meaning to anyway but we didn't know who she was).
So, a week goes by and pretty much nothing happens. We keep calling people for updates and nothing. A guy from the Watershed Authority was at our house and Jaxie tried to bite him (not exactly helping our cause) so he had to take pictures from inside his truck. But still no news. Alright people, the ground is thawing and turning into mud, if we're going to do some of this stuff we had better get it done!
3 days ago we find out that our neighbors are not getting a berm. The Watershed Authority decided that they would not build a berm to protect them (and our well) from the poop water. What?!? That sounds like total crap to me! And if they aren't going to build them a berm are we going to get any help! The poop water is practically in their yard (yes, our yard is under water but at least it's the clean water, not the poop water, for now anyway).
So I guess the plan is now to get an email together with pictures and video to send to the MLA, call the Watershed Authority and the RM Councilor Travis to see where they are at, and start considering contacting local news crews. And now you know what I know.
PS. The town of Prud'homme had a water main break on Saturday night and could not find it. The town has not had water since! They had to start trucking water in for the village people! Karma, I think so! To try to track it down they asked the villagers to report an "suspicious" puddles! What the hell is a "suspicious" puddle? And how can you tell it apart from all the regular puddles laying around since it is the middle of spring.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Message from the Mayor
Prud'homme puts out a monthly newsletter. This letter from Margret the Mayor was in our March issue (I am quoting this as it appeared in the newsletter, mistakes and all):
Really? That's what we get? Gee, thanks. What a bunch of bullshit. They ask people to think of us before flushing garbage and toxic waste down their toilet. Yeah, right, more like think of us and laugh (an evil laugh of course)! Oh, and don't forget the poor wildlife. You know, I never even thought of all the chemicals that are going down the drains of the townsfolk. Gonna have to make sure to keep the dogs out of the water!
So that's it. Our land just becomes a dilution pond. Well, that's just awesome. Why did we just spend $10,000 of money out of our own pocket to put in a new septic tank when it turns out we have acres upon acres of our own dilution pond? Maybe everyone in town should put up $10,000 of their own money to fix the lagoon. Sounds fair to me.
Flooding of Prud'homme Sewage Lagoon and Ducks Unlimited Wetland
As you may be aware the sewage lagoon and Duck Unlimited wetland located south of the Village of Prud'homme are flooded due to the high rainfall and run-off over the last two summers. For all intents and purposes, the sewage lagoon no longer exists and the combined area now effectively functions as a dilution pond. There are two main impacts of this situation:
First, because the sewage lagoon is no longer functional, Prud'homme's untreated sewage effluent is entering the entire flooded area. The Village is not in the position to rebuild the lagoon in the short-term. While we are eligible for $500,00 in disaster assistance, the full cost of rebuilding the lagoon is $1.5 million (based on an Engineering Assessment). If we wish to rebuild in the short-term, our only option for financing is to borrow about $1 million, we are not in the position to do. Giving our tax base, this loan would have to be repaid over 40-50 years, a move that would significantly impact our ability to undertake other projects, such as work on our water treatment plant. However, we are exploring other avenues to allow us to rebuild in the medium or long-term. In the meantime, we are looking at a number of temporary, shorter-term measures to reduce or eliminate the impact of the untreated sewage. Both the Province and Ducks Unlimited are aware of the current situation and we will work closely with the Ministry of the Environment as we try to address this over both the short and long-term.
The second impact is the overall flooding of the area, something over which the Village does not have control. The area is a catchment area and there is nowhere where this water can be drained. Even rebuilding the lagoon will not eliminate the potential for flooding in this area if rain and runoff level continue as they have for the past few year.
Council is working hard to determine our options for dealing with this situation to reduce impacts on both landowners in the area and the wildlife in the wetland. We will keep you posted.
On behalf of Council,
Margret
Guidelines for What Should (and Shouldn't) Go Down the Drain
Given that the Village's sewer lagoon is currently not working, Council suggests that you consider following these guidelines for what should, and should not, do down the drain. These guidelines are good to follow at anytime, but are especially important now that the lagoon is not able to treat the effluent before it makes its way into the wetland. Consider these recommendations a courtesy to our rural neighbors as well as to the wildlife that relies on our wetland.
- No Plastic of Latex Products
Plastic and latex products should not be flushed or drained into our sewer system. Put them in the garbage. These products do not break down in nature. Because our lagoon is currently containing these products, many of them are washing up on the land of local landowners, which is very unpleasant. In addition, these products are hazard to wildlife. There are many documented cases of wildlife mistaking plastic for food and subsequently dying.- No Hazardous Products
Hazardous products such as ethanol, methanol, gasoline, automotive oil or solvents should not be dumped into the sewer or any bodies of water.- Bio-degradable Cleaning Products
Consider using cleaning products that are able to break down in nature more quickly. Detergents, soaps and cleaners may contain ingredients that do no break down easily and can impact wildlife and plant life. For instance, cleaners derived from vegetable-based fatty acids break down more easily that those derived from petrochemical-based fatty acids. Look for the "Eco-Logo" label -- these are cleaning products that have been tested by a third party to ensure that they break down quickly in nature. The Soap Factory is a local company that sells biodegradable cleaning products in bulk. It is located on 8th Street in the same mall as McNally Robinson. These products will be easier on our wetland while our lagoon is not able to do its job. An added benefit is that these products are also better for your family.- Use bleach and chemical drain cleaners sparingly
Products like bleach and drain cleaners are very useful when used appropriately. For instance, the Village treats its drinking water with chlorine. However, large quantities of substances such as bleach and drain cleaners can kill the naturally occurring micro-organisms that help to break down organic waste. Right, given that the lagoon is not functioning, we need all the micro-organisms that we can get. We need these products but sometimes it is good to remember that more is not necessarily better.
Really? That's what we get? Gee, thanks. What a bunch of bullshit. They ask people to think of us before flushing garbage and toxic waste down their toilet. Yeah, right, more like think of us and laugh (an evil laugh of course)! Oh, and don't forget the poor wildlife. You know, I never even thought of all the chemicals that are going down the drains of the townsfolk. Gonna have to make sure to keep the dogs out of the water!
So that's it. Our land just becomes a dilution pond. Well, that's just awesome. Why did we just spend $10,000 of money out of our own pocket to put in a new septic tank when it turns out we have acres upon acres of our own dilution pond? Maybe everyone in town should put up $10,000 of their own money to fix the lagoon. Sounds fair to me.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Water Woes
Background Information:
This summer saw our land (~100 acres) almost completely under water. We basically had a moat and you could only cross through the hills at the West end of the land or though the driveway. On the North part of our land is a small body of water that is rented by Ducks Unlimited. Contained with berms in this body of water is the lagoon for the town of Prud'homme. This body of water is also on our neighbors land (actually closer to them then to us). We share a well for water with these neighbors. The well is about 100 feet from this body of water.
The Story:
After 20 some-odd years of neglect, the berms that contain the lagoon have given way. Also, the lagoon has been completely submerged in water. This means that everything that every person in the town of Prud'homme flushed down their toilet is released onto our land (ex. dental floss holders, toilet paper, tampon applicators). Now when I or my neighbor goes out back on our land with our dogs, we have this wonderful view of garbage. The second issue that this is causing is it is messing with our well water. We have had it tested and there has been no jump in bacteria but the Nitrate level has made a significant jump. Nitrates can not be removed by boiling and can cause Nitrite poisoning or cancer. It also causes build-up in your taps, drains, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc. which can actually break many appliances. It leaves a film on dishes and makes your skin REALLY dry. And gives you a rash! GROSS! The Health Ministry recommended chlorinating our well and that young children and babies should not bath in our water until the nitrate levels go down.
The Problem:
So, we call the town up and ask what they are going to do about this. "Oh, nothing right now" they say. They have a grant from the government right now and they would rather upgrade the town's water purification system then fix the lagoon. Ummm, I don't think so. So they say "alright, we'll get someone out to look at it". So a guy from Sask Environment comes out and says, "yup, it's broken". Gee, thanks, didn't catch that one. They also plan a meeting with an engineer to draft a repair plan, after which I was supposed to receive a phone call, which I never did and that was almost a month ago now. I eventually called them back and the lady who answered said "oh yeah, the mayor wants to talk to you, she has some questions for you, please call her at home in the evening". Uh, okay. If she wants to talk to me why didn't she call me back?
So fine, they want to be like that, I'll get some government or some committee or something on my side. Yeah, good luck! I emailed Ducks Unlimited, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, and the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority and they all said they were not responsible and to talk to one of the other ones. Although Ducks Unlimited at least tried to help, there just really wasn't anything they could do.
And now it's winter and everything is under a thick layer of ice and snow and is just silently poluting where people can't see. Next step, I'm not sure yet. Maybe start drinking the water so I can get sick, get time off work, and sue the town? Sounds like all winning to me :o)
This summer saw our land (~100 acres) almost completely under water. We basically had a moat and you could only cross through the hills at the West end of the land or though the driveway. On the North part of our land is a small body of water that is rented by Ducks Unlimited. Contained with berms in this body of water is the lagoon for the town of Prud'homme. This body of water is also on our neighbors land (actually closer to them then to us). We share a well for water with these neighbors. The well is about 100 feet from this body of water.
The Story:
After 20 some-odd years of neglect, the berms that contain the lagoon have given way. Also, the lagoon has been completely submerged in water. This means that everything that every person in the town of Prud'homme flushed down their toilet is released onto our land (ex. dental floss holders, toilet paper, tampon applicators). Now when I or my neighbor goes out back on our land with our dogs, we have this wonderful view of garbage. The second issue that this is causing is it is messing with our well water. We have had it tested and there has been no jump in bacteria but the Nitrate level has made a significant jump. Nitrates can not be removed by boiling and can cause Nitrite poisoning or cancer. It also causes build-up in your taps, drains, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc. which can actually break many appliances. It leaves a film on dishes and makes your skin REALLY dry. And gives you a rash! GROSS! The Health Ministry recommended chlorinating our well and that young children and babies should not bath in our water until the nitrate levels go down.
The Problem:
So, we call the town up and ask what they are going to do about this. "Oh, nothing right now" they say. They have a grant from the government right now and they would rather upgrade the town's water purification system then fix the lagoon. Ummm, I don't think so. So they say "alright, we'll get someone out to look at it". So a guy from Sask Environment comes out and says, "yup, it's broken". Gee, thanks, didn't catch that one. They also plan a meeting with an engineer to draft a repair plan, after which I was supposed to receive a phone call, which I never did and that was almost a month ago now. I eventually called them back and the lady who answered said "oh yeah, the mayor wants to talk to you, she has some questions for you, please call her at home in the evening". Uh, okay. If she wants to talk to me why didn't she call me back?
So fine, they want to be like that, I'll get some government or some committee or something on my side. Yeah, good luck! I emailed Ducks Unlimited, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, and the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority and they all said they were not responsible and to talk to one of the other ones. Although Ducks Unlimited at least tried to help, there just really wasn't anything they could do.
And now it's winter and everything is under a thick layer of ice and snow and is just silently poluting where people can't see. Next step, I'm not sure yet. Maybe start drinking the water so I can get sick, get time off work, and sue the town? Sounds like all winning to me :o)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Can you mow your lawn with a canoe?
Pretty soon we are going to have to try!
Good thing we own rubber boots! Maybe we should have planted rice instead of peas and carrots! I think even the dogs are starting to get sick of the water. When we came home from work yesterday Jodie was actually dry!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Adventures in Septic Tank Replacement
So last weekend we started having septic tank issues. The pump was running and never shutting off. We checked the tank to find it full. We figured one of the hoses must be plugged so on Monday evening we had our neighbor come over with his honey wagon and pump it out. To our dismay, the bottom was full of concrete, the tank had collapsed on itself and the hose and plugged everything.
Here's how the last week of our life went:
Monday - get the septic tank pumped out and find out it's collapsed
Tuesday - call Sask1stCall and get all our lines located (which of 3, only one was correct)
Wednesday - get the contractor to come out and make a plan (Colin from Graham Contracting, he and his crew were AWESOME!!), call for a quote on 30 yards of pea gravel
Thursday - get the gravel delivered (which they didn't even tell us they were going to do), start digging looking for the power line (which we could not find because it was much deeper then we thought it was)
Friday - the crew shows up, finds out all the lines are marked out wrong, find the right lines, get the power to the house diverted (since the power and phone lines went right over the old tank)
Saturday - crew comes back out, gets the tank in and digs the trench for the power to go back in
Saturday Night - huge storm, we lose power for the whole night, which only happened because we had company
Sunday - wake up to 2 and a half inches of rain, have to dig the power trench out by hand, get the main power hooked back up; my other half, my dad, and I come out looking like mud monsters and are all at least 3 feet taller
Monday - the crew comes back and finishes the wiring in the middle of the giant clay and dirt mud whole and patches the ground up as best they can (which didn't turn out to be very much because everything was soooo wet); the backhoe gets stuck in the back and the tractor and trailers get stuck in the field
So a one to two day job turned into a 4 day job for the contractor and his crew. I think they were definitely happy to be leaving the house of bad luck! The dogs are definitely happy that the constant parade of people to our house is now over. Although Jaxie was happy that she got to spend a few days in the house! Our contractor and his crew were super amazing. They were always very nice and professional, even when things were not going so great. They felt really bad that they had to leave everything in such a state of disaster but it was not their fault the rain decided to dump on us. They were definitely a pleasure to work with and made the whole situation seems not quite so bad. I would (and, unfortunately, probably will) use them again and would recommend them to anyone! And if you need cheep gravel, call AllRock in Saskatoon.
Here's the new septic tank:
The backhoe starting to dig:
Our yard after and the top of the new tank:
Where the bobcat got stuck:
My new dirt pile:
Where the semi and trailers were stuck:
Their equipment:
We definitely could not have made it through this without my mom and dad. My dad helped out so much with getting the contractor and with all the wiring side of everything. Colin Graham from Graham Contracting squished us in between two other jobs that he was working, which is totally awesome otherwise we would still probably not have a septic tank. So I guess we were pretty lucky in a couple ways.
Now if it would just stop raining so I can start to get the yard put back together! Oh well, until then, I guess it's back to work on the bar!
Here's how the last week of our life went:
Monday - get the septic tank pumped out and find out it's collapsed
Tuesday - call Sask1stCall and get all our lines located (which of 3, only one was correct)
Wednesday - get the contractor to come out and make a plan (Colin from Graham Contracting, he and his crew were AWESOME!!), call for a quote on 30 yards of pea gravel
Thursday - get the gravel delivered (which they didn't even tell us they were going to do), start digging looking for the power line (which we could not find because it was much deeper then we thought it was)
Friday - the crew shows up, finds out all the lines are marked out wrong, find the right lines, get the power to the house diverted (since the power and phone lines went right over the old tank)
Saturday - crew comes back out, gets the tank in and digs the trench for the power to go back in
Saturday Night - huge storm, we lose power for the whole night, which only happened because we had company
Sunday - wake up to 2 and a half inches of rain, have to dig the power trench out by hand, get the main power hooked back up; my other half, my dad, and I come out looking like mud monsters and are all at least 3 feet taller
Monday - the crew comes back and finishes the wiring in the middle of the giant clay and dirt mud whole and patches the ground up as best they can (which didn't turn out to be very much because everything was soooo wet); the backhoe gets stuck in the back and the tractor and trailers get stuck in the field
So a one to two day job turned into a 4 day job for the contractor and his crew. I think they were definitely happy to be leaving the house of bad luck! The dogs are definitely happy that the constant parade of people to our house is now over. Although Jaxie was happy that she got to spend a few days in the house! Our contractor and his crew were super amazing. They were always very nice and professional, even when things were not going so great. They felt really bad that they had to leave everything in such a state of disaster but it was not their fault the rain decided to dump on us. They were definitely a pleasure to work with and made the whole situation seems not quite so bad. I would (and, unfortunately, probably will) use them again and would recommend them to anyone! And if you need cheep gravel, call AllRock in Saskatoon.
Here's the new septic tank:
The backhoe starting to dig:
Our yard after and the top of the new tank:
Where the bobcat got stuck:
My new dirt pile:
Where the semi and trailers were stuck:
Their equipment:
We definitely could not have made it through this without my mom and dad. My dad helped out so much with getting the contractor and with all the wiring side of everything. Colin Graham from Graham Contracting squished us in between two other jobs that he was working, which is totally awesome otherwise we would still probably not have a septic tank. So I guess we were pretty lucky in a couple ways.
Now if it would just stop raining so I can start to get the yard put back together! Oh well, until then, I guess it's back to work on the bar!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Have you ever seen the movie "The Birds"?
Me neither. 1963 was way before my time :o) But it seems like our land out back could be where they filmed it! See, part of our land is "rented" out to Ducks Unlimited and that part happens to be under water. It also happens to be where thousands of geese come in the spring. Seriously, thousands. And they are incredibly noisy!
Even though they bring a lot of noise and poop, we still welcome them every year. It's a sure sign that summer is on the way. If you come out to visit us, be sure to keep your mouth closed when looking up!
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