Over the next several years Strathcona County will be upgrading the Ardrossan (Four Ridges) truck fill and building a new residential truck fill in the Colchester area to provide additional rural bulk water options before the Sherwood Drive truck fill reaches the end of its operational lifespan.Â
The Ardrossan truck fill will be expanded and upgraded to accommodate additional commercial and residential bays with onsite infrastructure upgrades and improvements to Range Road 222 to accommodate additional traffic.
As part of this project a new water supply main will be constructed. This water line is required for the future development of Ardrossan and is being constructed sooner than originally planned to coincide with the truck fill upgrades.
Upgrading the Ardrossan truck fill will occur in two phases. Dates are subject to change based on construction timelines. Â
Expected cost of construction to bulk water users: $4.0M. Expected rate impact: approximately $0.45/m3 increase to the bulk water rate.
In addition to the upgrades at the Ardrossan truck fill, the County will construct a new residential fill station in the Colchester area.
The location of the Colchester station has not been finalized. The station will be limited to residential use only due to infrastructure constraints in the area. Upgrading all the required infrastructure to offer commercial water services at this station would be prohibitively expensive.
Construction of the Colchester residential fill station is expected to begin in 2027.
Expected cost of construction to bulk water users: $2M to $3M (dependent on location). Expected rate impact: $0.40 to $0.55/m3 increase to the bulk water rate.
The Sherwood Drive truck fill facility has effectively reached the end of its useful life and will be decommissioned once the Ardrossan and Colchester projects are complete.Â
The Sherwood Drive truck fill is reaching the end of its operational lifespan. After investigation of the various options Council decided that renewing the Sherwood Drive truck fill station was not in the best interest of the majority of bulk water users.
The general premise for Utility rates is that those who benefit from the infrastructure must bear the costs of that infrastructure. This means that Sherwood Drive truck fill renewal costs would be borne by bulk water users resulting in a large increase to bulk water rates at all of our bulk water facilities.Â
Council has a responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of the community while considering cost, service, and long-term sustainability.Â
At the September 10, 2024 Council meeting, Administration provided options to Council for their consideration with respect to a path forward for the Sherwood Drive facility.Â
1a) Full renewal of Sherwood Drive truck fill
1b) Renewal of Sherwood Drive truck fill with modified infrastructure (no reservoir)
2) Upgrade and expand the existing Ardrossan Truck Fill Station and decommission the Sherwood Drive facility. This option includes early construction of a planned waterline required accommodate additional growth in Ardrossan, as well as improvements to the truck fill site.
Additional) Construct a residential water fill station in Colchester The opportunity to add a new residential water fill station in the Colchester area was considered as separate, though related decision, as there are long-standing requests for a fill station in the area. The Colchester facility would be similar to the Half Moon Lake and South Cooking Lake water fill stations.
Any rate increases will be phased in over a number of years. The rate will not increase by the full amount all at once.Â
Council made the decision to proceed with Option 2 (expand Ardrossan and ultimately decommission Sherwood Drive) at the September 10 council meeting. The Colchester residential fill station was ultimately approved as a 2026 Project through the 2025 Budget process later in 2024. Â
While no single option will satisfy everyone, upgrading the Ardrossan truck fill and constructing a new residential fill station in Colchester was determined by Council to represent the solution that best balanced cost and rate impact with level of service for users.
This option allows bulk water rates to remain reasonable (among the lowest in the region), makes efficient use of existing and upcoming infrastructure, and continues to provide reliable access to bulk water for residents and commercial haulers across Strathcona County.Â
No action will be taken to decommission the Sherwood Drive truck fill until construction at Ardrossan and Colchester is complete. Decommissioning of Sherwood Drive is expected to take place in 2029.
You can use the maps below to see the comparison of driving times to reach your nearest truck fill with and without Sherwood Drive. There are separate maps for commercial and residential users. Drive times were calculated using the County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data and represents the average drive time under typical conditions.Â
How to read the maps:Â Locate your address on the map. The colour of the area surrounding it indicates the expected drive time to the nearest truck fill. Swiping between the two views using the slider gives a comparison of the current state (left hand map) and the future state (right hand map).Â
Commercial user drive times - Strathcona County only
Commercial user drive times - Including Davies station in Edmonton
Residential user drive times
Map of Strathcona County and regional truck fills.
Dates subject to change.
Utilities Phone: 780-467-7785 Email: scutilities@strathcona.ca
Last updated: Monday, December 01, 2025 Page ID: 52464