The future of a pipeline built to pump treated wastewater from the town of Strathmore, Alta., into the Bow River could be decided this week.

A three-daylong hearing of Alberta's Environmental Appeal Board begins Monday in the town east of Calgary to determine if the community can use the $10-million pipeline, which was completed last summer.

The Siksika Nation, which is downstream of the town, has raised concerns about how added effluent in the Bow will affect their community. The First Nation argues it wasn't properly consulted about the pipeline before the provincial government approved the project.

"Siksika is a downstream user of the Bow River, and relies on it for drinking, household, agriculture, recreational and traditional uses like hunting, trapping and fishing," Chief Adrian Stimson writes in the band's appeal.

"The Bow River has a unique and sensitive biology which is being negatively affected by increased nutrient levels, suspended solids and likely other components added as a result of regional urbanization and rapid population expansion, the input of storm waters and waste water."

Best solution for fast-growing town

However, the town manager, Dwight Stanford, says joining other southern Alberta communities such as Calgary in dumping treated effluent into the Bow River was the best solution for fast-growing Strathmore.

"We got all the approvals from Alberta Environment and we got funding from the Alberta government," he said. "We went ahead and built a line to take our treated effluent to the Bow River and we completed that line last summer and since that time, we have not been able to use it."

The appeal board will have 30 days to issue a decision once the hearing is complete.