Sewage

A federal funding application for critically needed upgrades to Winnipeg’s oldest and largest sewage treatment plant is finally on its way to Ottawa. 

The proposal to the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) seeks funding for the design and construction of new biosolids facilities at the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC), Phase 2 of an ongoing, multi-phase upgrade project. 

Phosphorus loading from sources like undertreated sewage feeds the growth of potentially toxic algal blooms on Lake Winnipeg. If proactively designed to optimize interim phosphorus...

A plan outlining next steps for both interim phosphorus reduction and full upgrades at Winnipeg’s North End sewage treatment plant was released today.

The plan was developed by a project steering committee for the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC), which includes representatives from both the city and the province.

The NEWPCC is the largest of Winnipeg’s three wastewater treatment facilities and the single largest point source of phosphorus to Lake Winnipeg. Excess amounts of phosphorus in freshwater ecosystems drive the growth of potentially toxic algae. Currently, the NEWPCC...

Algae blooms at Connaught Beach and Lester Beach, July 2019; Photos (clockwise from top left): Murray McCaig, Jennifer Engbrecht, Carter Brooks, Laurie Bennett

Update: The city’s request for an extension for NEWPCC upgrades is now under review by the provincial regulator.

Manitoba Sustainable Development’s Environmental Approvals Branch must assess the city’s submission and decide whether or not to grant its request for a two-year extension. (The city has asked for a new deadline of Dec. 31, 2021, to come up with a plan that would include a revised date for a full plant upgrade and potential...

On World Water Day, the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) are releasing a report recommending an interim retrofit to Winnipeg’s largest sewage treatment plant. This retrofit could be implemented quickly and at low cost to significantly reduce the facility’s phosphorus contribution to Lake Winnipeg.

Research at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area shows that phosphorus is the nutrient responsible for potentially toxic algae blooms in freshwater lakes. Winnipeg’s North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC) is currently the single...