The digester will be constructed near the Rimrock Inlet, approximately five kilometers west of High River. Google Maps

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Backers of a new “biodigester” project say it’s a glimpse into Alberta’s renewable energy future, with the potential to gobble up greenhouse gases and lead to a more sustainable environment.

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But for those who live near the site of a massive manure and food waste processing plant proposed near High River, the project is potentially a nasty nightmare that would decimate their property values. Sign up to receive daily news headlines from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

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Last month, a public meeting at a High River hotel about the prospect of the biodigester — intended to produce renewable natural gas and fertilizer from livestock and grocery waste — resulted in a wild scream fest, said Foothills County Reeve Delilah Miller, who was present in the field concerns. “I attended a rather hostile meeting where some people were putting people to work with misinformation,” said Miller, who represents residents in the area five kilometers west of High River, which is the potential site of the Rimrock Renewables Biodigester.

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“Residents are frustrated because when these applications go to (provincial authorities) they have to wait for their concerns to be heard … I was raked over the coals pretty well, but I wasn’t there to be abused.” But some residents living near the proposed 35-hectare site say they are not being given the full story behind the facility and do not trust the company that aims to have it up and running a year from now. Benita Estes said the first concrete indication of the impending presence of the $65 million to $70 million biodigester came in a notice affixed last July to her front gate, 200 meters from the proposed plant’s property. “The whole process was secret and treacherous,” said Estes, who has lived on her four-hectare property for six years.

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“This thing is ridiculously huge, the biggest in Canada… It shouldn’t be in residential homes across the country.” Residents, he said, have been given conflicting information by the applicant and there is concern that the project is not subject to an environmental review. Rimrock, which plans to process 80,000 tonnes of manure annually from its nearby feedlot and 60,000 tonnes of product residue trucked in from Calgary, insists the plant will actually reduce odors from its livestock. But neighbors aren’t convinced, pointing to what they say will be a 14-hectare open sewage pond on the site — a feature Rimrock says will be closer to 10 hectares. “If they have an overland flood (from the nearby Highwood River), where does it all go?” Estes said, adding that the land has already been stripped bare in preparation.

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“It belongs in an industrial area and needs to be contained.” Neighbor Dave Dalton agrees, saying the size of the project has grown to the point where it threatens the value of nearby homes. “The value of my property is going to drop significantly – I don’t know who would want to live next to a crappy disaster,” he said. Opponents also point to the noise and traffic that would result from the proposed plant and express doubts about its green credentials, citing some environmentalists’ skepticism that the relatively small scale of power generation would balance the energy expended to produce it. “It’s pie in the sky,” Dalton said. Rimrock said it plans to produce 520,000 gigajoules of RNG (renewable natural gas) annually, or enough to power 5,800 homes.

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Neighbors say the digester would have to be built in an industrial area just north of High River that is already home to the Cargill meat processing plant. But Reeve Miller said it would require a much longer route to haul the manure from the Rimrock feeder, which is adjacent to land the company owns and has earmarked for the digester. She said such facilities have not proved to be nightmares for neighbors in other countries, adding that her constituents are already struggling with aroma-producing foods. Foothills Reeve Delilah Miller said the county has little say in the digester approval process. Al Charest/Postmedia “I remind people that they are in the middle of two feeders. If (the biodigester) eliminates the smell, I would think property values ​​would go up,” Miller said. The county, he noted, has little say in the facility’s approval process.

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The technical review of Rimrock’s application has not yet taken place, said a spokesperson for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, but a decision on it is expected by the end of next March. “This timeline is based on a discussion with the applicant,” Carla Jones said in an email. A Rimrock Renewables official said the company could not comment on the project because it is in the middle of a regulatory process. But in written responses to residents’ questions given in late September, Rimrock said the proposals would have multiple advantages. “The project has environmental benefits by capturing greenhouse gases (which also cause odors) released into the atmosphere and converting them into usable energy,” the company said.

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“Once operational, the facility will generate taxes for (the county) that would benefit the local community.” The company says the renewable natural gas produced will be sold to FortisBC Energy in a 20-year deal. But neighbors say they want a public meeting on the project, adding that it’s something the company has so far refused. “They’re just sending us in circles,” Dalton said. Miller said she hopes to have a meeting on the project early next year. “We are not ignoring them. we are doing our best to make sure they are heard,” he said. He added that he is also pushing to give rural municipalities more approval powers for major projects. [email protected] Twitter: @billKaufmannjrn

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