The Town of Okotoks is a recipient of the 2018 Sustainable Communities Award.

Okotoks was one of nine communities recognized by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for it's Living Soils Filtration Project.

The Living Soils Filtration Project uses soil and plants to capture, filter and disperse storm water, which improves water quality, increases green space, enhances biodiversity and reduces the risks from extreme climate events. This bioretention system is different from traditional methods that use pipes, discharge and oil/grit separators that go to the river.

Dawn Smith, Environment and Sustainability Coordinator for the Town, says they're thrilled about the award.

"We were all quite excited, it's a small project so we were up against every other municipality that applied in Canada which is hard to do sometimes because the big cities often do really large, interesting projects but I think that the several different benefits that were captured in this project is what gave it attention."

One of the components that helped to set it apart is the educational portion.

"It has a research component and then EPCOR partnered with the Town to integrate an education centre that provides information about this specific project and the Okotoks watershed and ecosystem as a whole," explains Smith. "It provides material from kindergarten age all the way up to PhD level students."

Beside the Town's bioretention site there's a riparian forest of historical significance they've been able to protect and enhance through the project. The group of trees have cultural meaning to the Blackfoot Nation as historically they used to lay their dead to rest in the trees.

The Living Soils Filtration Project is a collaboration with the Town of Okotoks and the universities of Calgary and Victoria, the City of Calgary, and other regional partners.

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