A dog park with river access might not be on the horizon in Okotoks, but other options are being planned to give dog-walkers more opportunities to go off-leash.
Coun. Rachel Swendseid said an off-leash area with river access is the number-one request she hears from the public when it comes to off-leash parks in Okotoks.
However, a high number of people and dogs in one area would increase sediment and impact water quality in the Sheep River, Swendseid said.
“I don't think that we're going to see one anytime soon because of those reasons,” she said.
The Okotoks councillor made those comments during a recent Facebook Live broadcast where she answered questions and provided an update on recent Town discussions about dog parks.
Although Diamond Valley and Calgary have off-leash areas with river access, Okotoks has different factors to consider.
Okotoks has a much larger population than Diamond Valley, and the Sheep River that flows through Okotoks is much smaller than the Bow River in Calgary, she said.
Okotoks is home to over 4,400 licensed dogs, who live in more than 3,300 households, according to recent stats from the Town.
Because of the lower river flow, the Sheep River can’t handle increased nutrient loading from dog waste or the increased sediment from high use along the riverbank or in the water, Swendseid said.
Okotoks gets drinking water from the Sheep River, and water quality issues would complicate water treatment, she said.
Swendseid, a dog owner herself, said it’s hard to argue that water quality won’t be impacted if there was an off-leash park near the river.
“I know what the (existing) dog park looks like in the spring, when all that poop is left over,” she said.
Two developer-led dog parks in the works
Swendseid said the lack of river access might be frustrating to some, but two new off-leash parks are in the works in Wedderburn and Tillotson that will be built and paid for by developers.
The dog park in Wedderburn will open first, but there isn’t a firm timeline for when that will be.
With developer-funded dog parks in the works, Swendseid said there is little appetite from council to develop one using taxpayers’ money. However, she said improvements could be coming to the existing off-leash dog park.
The site used to be home to a gas plant, and development restrictions make it complicated, Swendseid said.
“Basically, it means there are some rules we need to follow because of the previous land use,” she said. “There are activities that we cannot do on the site.”
Efforts are underway to have the site deemed fully reclaimed, which will help determine if restrictions could be loosened or lifted.
She said opportunities are being explored to add shade structures or plant trees that take the restrictions into consideration.
Improvements people have said they’d like to see at the existing off-leash park include paved or gravel trails, shade, a fenced-off area for small or anxious dogs, water, increased mobility and accessibility, and more weed control and mowing. Swendseid said she would share those suggestions with Town staff.
