WABAMUN, ALBERTA

'Wabamun' (pronounced with stress on the first syllable: ) is a village located west of Edmonton in central Alberta, Canada.

Contents

Economy

Tourism

Oil spill

Demographics

See also

References

External links

Economy

The main source of income within the village is the coal-fired power plant located just on the edge of town owned and operated by TransAlta Utilities. The power plant is slowly being closed down because of increased pressure from environmental agencies and aging. The Wabamun power plant has been a heated debate over the past 10 years among the residents, and cottagers of Wabamun Lake. Due to the lack of a cool off pond, the water used to cool the internal systems is deposited back into the lake, which enhances weed population dramatically. Currently, only 1 of the 4 units is in operation, and the plant is scheduled for complete shutdown and subsequent demolition in the Spring of 2010.

Tourism

A large cabin-going community exists during the summer, while the village is populated year round. Local sites include Wabamun Lake, the village marina, the pier, the WAY-CUP coffee shop, hardware store, bowling lanes, and a newly built grocery store. The village is host to Canada's largest semi-pro indoor rodeo every June, which spans a five-day period, and is hosted at the Wabamun Arena.
The lake itself has a large population of Northern Pike along with whitefish and Perch. Currently, fish are to be only caught and released in light of the August 2005 CN derailment, which spilled over 700,000 litres (154,000 Imp gal/185,000 US gal) of Bunker C pole oil into the lake.
The main sailing club of the lake is Wabamun Sailing Club, approximately west of town at the end of Range Road 43. A smaller club is located on the opposite shore of the lake.

Oil spill

Main articles: Wabamun Lake

On August 3, 2005, 45 cars of a CN Rail train derailed on the shores of Wabamun Lake, West of the village, spilling their contents of more than 700,000 litres of a variety of fuel oils and pole treating oils into the lake.

Demographics

In 2006, Wabamun had a population of 601 living in 252 dwellings, a 0.0% increase from 2001. The village has a land area of and a population density of .

See also

★ List of communities in Alberta

★ Villages of Alberta

References

1.

External links

★ Village of Wabamun