The City of Meadow Lake’s inability to address issues with its lagoon system until 2026 has some residents seeing red… or, in this case, smelling brown. “For several years, Meadow Lake has been cloaked in the unmistakable smell of sh*t,” remarked Meadow Lake’s Geoff Barton who resides not far from Lions Park which, in turn, is located fairly close to the area more often than not subjected to the smell emitted by the lagoons during the spring and summer months. “And, for just as long, our elected representatives have chosen to do nothing about it.” Barton expressed his dissatisfaction with city council’s efforts in the wake of last week’s release of a detailed update on the city’s sewage lagoon action plan. Following the completion of a comprehensive lagoon survey, the planned dredging project council hoped would take place some time this summer has been postponed to the spring of 2026. The survey revealed the scale of sludge, grit and contamination is far more significant than anticipated, making the project logistically and financially unfeasible to complete in 2025.

“We know this is not the news residents wanted to hear, and we share in the disappointment,” said mayor Merlin Seymour in a city-issued news release. “This difficult decision is necessary to ensure we invest in a solution that fixes the problem correctly.” The survey confirmed the lagoon is facing several critical challenges severely reduced capacity, contamination, and grit and debris. According to the city, sludge now occupies up to 56 per cent of the volume in some treatment cells, significantly reducing the lagoon’s ability to effectively treat wastewater and control odours. The sludge contains elevated levels of copper, petroleum hydrocarbons and pathogens that exceed provincial and federal environmental standards, meaning it cannot be reused and requires special disposal in a landfill. Approximately 967 cubic metres of dense grit deposited by vacuum trucks was found in one cell, which damages infrastructure and disrupts treatment.

Meanwhile, the full scope of work – including essential aeration system upgrades – carries a total estimated cost of $1.7 million. The city’s remaining 2025 budget of $80,910.77 is insufficient to proceed. Furthermore, the dredging work itself requires an estimated 100 days, making a late-season start too risky to guarantee completion before winter. This news does not sit well with Barton. “Now, we find ourselves in the situation where the lagoons are so overloaded the costs to maintain them have exceeded the current budget,” he said when contacted by Northern Pride. “As a city, we need to do better. The simple fact the lagoons have been left to get to this point should be embarrassing.”

Also disappointed in the lagoon situation is former and future resident Lee Schenk who plans to one day relocate to Meadow Lake with her husband, Terry. “While we don’t live in Meadow right now, we will be moving back in from the lake in the next few years,” Schenk said. “Actually, we thought that was a terrible place to put the lagoon in the first place (the lagoon is located just to the southwest of the city near the industrial area). And, the times we were in town, the smell was overpowering. It’s not acceptable at all.”

The city’s director of public works, Hasan Akhtar, however, said even though the full dredging must wait, the municipality is taking immediate action. “Based on the survey findings, the city will immediately cease the acceptance of vacuum truck loads at the lagoon,” Akhtar stated. “This practice has been a direct contributor to the grit and sludge buildup.” Plans to relocate the lagoons further south of town have also changed as of late, as a multiyear project such as that saw cost estimates increase substantially to more than $30 million. Instead, a full rehabilitation of the current lagoon has been deemed the most immediate and financially responsible solution. The dredging and aeration upgrade comes with an estimated price tag of $1.7 million.

As was reported last week, funding for the full dredging and lagoon rehabilitation project is now being secured in the 2026 budget. The city’s new timeline is to award the contract for this work in April 2026 and begin dredging in May 2026.