by PAUL RAYNER

With no significant drop off in the stink from the lagoon, the Town of Boissevain has decided to get some help from experts in the field.

Genivar Engineering, a Winnipeg engineering company known for its work on lagoons and water plants, will be working with the Town and Nelson Environmental Limited to put a permanent end to the malodorous situation plaguing Boissevain since the spring. According to Mayor Ed Anderson, members of Council, CAO Lloyd Leganchuk and Town Foreman Barry Chinner met with Bill Bryant of Genivar on Thursday, September 17 to try to deal with the ongoing issue.

“We needed to deal with this problem,” Anderson stated. “We had done things, and they weren’t working and it needed a real solution, so we decided this was the way to do it, to bring people in who understand this kind of thing.”

The lagoon problem started last fall when the Town chose to change their aeration system. The previous equipment was surface based which was used for many years, but could freeze up during the winter and occasionally flip over, forcing Town employees to go out on the lagoon in a boat, remove the pump, thaw it and sometimes repair damage.

The new system installed is air driven and breaks down the solid waste at the bottom of the lagoon. There were no problems in the cold weather, but by spring, it was bringing a major stench. At first, the Town made the decision to turn off the air on the equipment, which brought no significant long-term improvement.

In August, they began adding Liquid Living Bacteria, and a deodorant, in order to break down the smell. The improvement, if any, was insignificant.

“We’ve been adding tons of that, more than recommended for a lagoon this size. You are supposed to give it one big shock treatment, then daily doses. When it didn’t work the first time, we gave it a second shock treatment. Then a third. Time was going by and people were phoning about the smell and we had to do something else.”

Genivar and Nelson, which is currently working on a similar lagoon problem in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, will be working together to eliminate the problem. They have received the specs on the lagoon, including size and type of aeration system, and Anderson was hoping by the end of the week to hear back what they would need to do.

One possible problem is that there is only one deffuser in the lagoon. A box through which oxygen pumps down into the bottom of the lagoon to break down solids before it raises to the top, Anderson said they might need another couple to help this process. As well, he has concerns regarding companies who pump septic tanks outside of Boissevain dumping into the lagoon; a situation he feels is contributing to the problem and should be addressed. At any rate, they are looking to find a permanent solution.

“We needed proper engineering,” the mayor said. “In simple English, we were not doing the right thing. We’re anticipating having Nelson Environmental in next week and this should be the start of odour control at the lagoon.”