Now that the facility’s foundation is in place, members of the Thompson city council were given their first official tour of the new wastewater treatment plant Sept. 29.
This tour was facilitated by the city’s manager of infrastructure Harkamaljeet Singh Gill and Perry Piwniuk of Stantec, which is managing the construction project, and allowed city councillors to get an up-close and personal look at the project’s lower levels.
Gill and Piwniuk also showcased the facility’s blueprints, which outline a new filtration system that uses ultraviolet light to remove bacteria and viruses from incoming sewage.
City manager Gary Ceppetelli said this project represents a massive upgrade to Thompson’s existing wastewater infrastructure, especially when compared to the old facility that’s been in operation for over half a century.
“In the past, you had a facility that was built in the late ‘50s, early ‘60s, that was for primary [treatment] only, which basically sifted out the solids,” he said. “So you really weren’t treating anything. With this you are treating the product so that it’s more environmentally friendly at the discharge end.”
While a sewage lagoon was built around 1970 to provide secondary treatment of wastewater, the province of Manitoba has since mandated stricter standards for effluent discharge limits, which means this facility has been rendered obsolete.
According to an Oct. 3 press release from the city, outside of upgrading local wastewater infrastructure to meet provincial standards, this new system will also eliminate foul odours from the immediate area, which has been a long-standing problem for residents of the City of Thompson.
“It’ll be really nice to not have the smell waft across the river,” said Coun. Colleen Smook at the Oct. 2 city council meeting.
At the beginning of this tour, Gill revealed that completion is scheduled for March 2019. While Piwniuk thinks it is possible to meet this deadline, he said the harsh Thompson winters will definitely play a part in determining if they are able to stick to their schedule.
“In 35–40 below it’s tough on equipment. The crane won’t be able to operate in those temperatures,” he said during the tour. “Because the building is not closed there’s always potentially more frost getting underneath the slab and creating havoc that way.”
Despite these concerns, Mayor Dennis Fenske remains confident that this project will ensure this community’s sustainability and viability going forward and will remain a standout initiative from his time in office.
“Setting this project in motion has been one of the flagship achievements of our council, and it’s exciting to see this massive investment becoming a reality,” he said in the city’s press release. “This facility is a key step in securing the future of Thompson’s infrastructure and the community as a whole, and I’m proud to say that this facility will be part of the legacy of our current council.”
