Mayor disagrees Town isn't engaged in finding solution to odour problems

High River's mayor says the town is not going to try and get Rimrock Feeders shut down.

Craig Snodgrass says the Natural Resources Conservation Board has determined catch basins are the likely culprit when it comes to the terrible smell coming from the feedlot.

"We're hoping that that's where the primary issue lies with the increase of odour but NRCB is also committed very much to getting this issue resolved for High River," he says.

Snodgrass says there's always been an odour problem at times from the previous Western Feedlot but it has been far worse this year than ever before.

"It was good to have the NRCB there (at council Monday) because they have heard the complaints, many people have sent emails and phoned into the NRCB so they have been on the ground in High River investigating the increased odour and they've also been on site at Rimrock and Rimrock's had their doors wide open for these guys to come in and try to find the solution, Snodgrass explains.

The problem's been narrowed to one of the drainage lagoons which will be drained and returned to proper order.

He told assembled residents at Monday's council meeting that shutting it down is not on the table at all which did not go over well with some of those in attendance.

"What we do and are actively involved in is figuring out, because everybody knows that from the Western days to what's happened over the winter and summer there is a significant increase in the smell that's coming from the feedlot, we are all very aware of that, because I would think the majority of people in town are telling us if the smell came down to the level of Western Feedlots we can absolutely live with that, it's not an issue."

He disagrees with residents who say the Town isn't actively involved in finding a solution.

"I know some people want me to be going as crazy as I did with the coal mining but they are two completely different issues that are miles apart. What we are committed to is being engaged with the issue as we are with the coal mining and we are all doing that," he says. "We did a tour out at Rimrock with the NRCB and with Foothills County, we've held two delegations, one from Rimrock one from the NRCB so it's transparent for the public and they can hear what we're hearing, so from here it's continuing to follow up with the NRCB and going back out to Rimrock and seeing the drains pumped out and we're just going to be working together with this industry because that's the only way I feel we're going to come to a solution on this one."