Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to come out on top. It’s always darkest before the dawn. And, the smell of sh*t in Meadow Lake is only going to get worse before it gets better. Recently, the City of Meadow Lake issued an update on the ongoing saga of its lagoon system, noting a contract is currently being finalized for upcoming maintenance. “Over time, sludge buildup has filled up to 56 per cent of some treatment cells, severely limiting our wastewater capacity,” reads a statement shared by the city. “Cleaning them out is necessary to restore capacity and mitigate long-standing odour issues. Following required environmental testing, landfill approvals were recently granted to allow the project to move forward.” 

As noted, however, the smell from the lagoon will get worse before it gets better. “Physically disturbing and extracting decades of deep sludge will temporarily release intense odours into the air,” the city’s statement continues. “While unpleasant, this is an unavoidable, short-term step required to significantly reduce the root cause of the smell for the long-term. Work with the contractor is ongoing to set the project schedule. Once concrete timelines are confirmed, an update will be provided detailing work dates and what to expect during the cleanup phase. Thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation as we navigate this project.” The primary reasons for the cleanup project taking so long to get off the ground came down to cost, as well as getting the go-ahead to dispose of any sludge pulled from the lagoons at the local landfill site. Following an in-camera or closed session during city council’s May 11 meeting, local legislators instructed administration to proceed with toxic characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) testing with Hydrasurvey Ltd. to confirm if dredged materials at the lagoon meet acceptable standards for disposal at the Northwest Regional Landfill. Council also awarded the contract for the lagoon project to Clean Harbours Energy and Industrial Services Corp. provided the testing met the required standards. The city earmarked $1.7 million for sewage lagoon restoration in its 2026 budget. Meanwhile, mayor Merlin Seymour spoke with Northern Pride last week about the upcoming lagoon project, reiterating much of the history behind the issue and addressing concerns raised by members of the public. 

“I would first like to say council is fully aware of the concerns of the smell from the lagoon,” Seymour said. “Anyone with the sense of smell knows this. Over the years, we have looked into the various options to help with this concern. Various dredging options have been explored, including adding additional enzymes to the ponds. There have been numerous tests performed to try to help to identify what the best options and scope of work would be. Also, as an initial planning for the east side disaster mitigation funding about seven years ago, we looked at relocating the lagoon. The costing at that time was not confirmed to relocate, but estimates were not finalized.” Seymour went on to state, in 2024, council began looking into the relocation option, with estimated costs coming back in 2025 in excess of $40 million. “At the time, there were no grants available through federal infrastructure funding, nor are there any current funding in the works,” he added. “Our entire annual budget for 2026 is just over $16 million. The only way we would be able to fund this is through tax increases, which would be totally against our council being fiscally responsible to the residents and business people of Meadow Lake. A part of our 2026 budget process, which came to the table in September 2025, was the concern of the lagoon smell.” 

The mayor also said it is somewhat of a relief to now have confirmation the lagoon sludge has been accepted for disposal. “The public works manager is coordinating with the contractor to begin mobilizing to Meadow Lake and begin the process,” he said. “We hope to have final answers to this for our council meeting Monday (June 22). I can appreciate the concern that has been brought forward through various social media avenues, and will hope to get started on this sooner than later.” During Monday’s council meeting, however, no discussion concerning the lagoon project took place.