The City’s Waste Water Treatment Facility is in need of some upgrades before desludging of the plant can begin.
Currently, the facility is in need of an emergency replacement of a Baffle Curtain in cell one that broke in May 2018. Mayor Gerald Aalbers says right now waste is entering cell one and due to the broken curtain it does not have the ability to do its job.
“Rather than have the ability to circle and defuse is what it’s supposed to do it’s passing almost immediately through that cell so it’s not doing what it needs to do. There are microbes and bacteria that do a lot of work to help improve our effluent they’re not having the time to do that. As a result, we’re pushing things to cell two which leads to cell three which is the last cell before its discharge.”
Last week, City Council approved the replacement for about $120,000.
Aalbers says both the Saskatchewan Water Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada have been notified of the issue.
“We’re likely discharging above our legal limit and we in some intend to be not bad on some of the requirements because of increased bacterial activity in the temperature. The microbes are able to do there work this will slow that down dramatically.”
Aalbers adds that the City is monitoring the levels and the replacement will happen as soon as the contract is signed with Nexom Inc.
The plant will also see the replacement of aeration equipment for cell one, which is part of the desludging process. The replacement will cost the City $777,000.