Notice of Intent to Make a Determination

Muskoday First Nation Sewage Lagoon Upgrade - Public Comments invited

June 6, 2024 - Indigenous Services Canada must determine whether the proposed Muskoday First Nation Sewage Lagoon Upgrade, to be located on Muskoday First Nation , is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. To help inform this determination, Indigenous Services Canada is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination.

Written comments must be submitted by July 5, 2024 to:

Indigenous Services Canada
Alvin Hamilton Building, 1783 Hamilton Street
Regina, SK  S4P 2B6

Telephone: 306-581-3134
Email: isc-skenv@sac-isc.gc.ca

Proposed Project

Muskoday First Nation is proposing to construct a new lagoon located approximately 2 km northeast of the community core area. Construction will consist of establishing a new facultative lagoon and approximately 500 m of access road. The existing lagoon, located immediately west of the proposed lagoon, will be decommissioned and returned to natural vegetative state. Approximately 1.8 km of new sewage force main piping will also be installed along the existing piping to convey wastewater from the existing sewage pumping station to the proposed lagoon. Erosion control measures will be implemented as required during construction until adequate vegetative growth has re-established.

All anticipated waste generation from construction activities will be responsibly handled and disposed of to designated off reserve facilities. Procedures will also be followed to limit the amounts of waste generated during construction, and mitigate any potential contamination pathways for petroleum products from on-site equipment.

Standard operating and maintenance practices will apply to operation of the lagoon once commissioning has been completed, which include seasonal effluent releases from the storage cell. Effluent quality testing will be completed to ensure Saskatchewan MOE / WSA standards are being achieved. The effluent will be released to an existing drainage channel which ultimately drains to the South Saskatchewan River located approximately 1 km away. A DUIS (Downstream Use and Impact Study) has been completed for this project, which concluded that stricter effluent criteria than the governing federal Wastewater System Effluent Regulations (WSER) criteria are not warranted to meet ambient criteria in the South Saskatchewan River.