The Ranchers Beef cattle processing facility north of Calgary has been forced to truck in water after being cut off last week from the city’s water supply.
Tony Martinez, president of Ranchers Beef, said he’s not sure why Calgary mayor Dave Bronconnier ordered the water supply cut off.
For three months, the new beef packing plant has been using water from its neighbour, energy company Nexen.
Since 1981, Nexen had been supplying water to the former Shell sour gas plant at the site where Ranchers Beef is located.
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When Ranchers Beef built its cattle processing facility on the location, just outside Calgary city limits, Nexen agreed to continue supplying the plant with roughly 10,000 gallons of water per day.
In August, Bronconnier ordered the water sharing agreement to be stopped.
“We’re in shock,” said Martinez. “We can’t figure it out.”
The beef plant, which brings in slaughtered animals from its Innisfail facility for processing, has been forced to truck city water to its plant at a cost of $1,000 a day.
Before, it cost about $25 a day for water.
Martinez said the company would continue to truck water until a new water line is built some time next year from the County of Rocky View.
