Monday, April 20, 2026
The City of Lethbridge, Alta has outlined what it regards as required upgrades for its wastewater treatment plant.
The city has completed an asset management plan for the plant, which was last expanded in 1989. Many parts of the plant are past their service life, a City of Lethbridge release said, with several key systems in poor or very poor condition.
“The Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of the most important services we provide, but the facility is under real strain. Many systems are old, and we no longer have backup options if something breaks. That puts the community at risk,” City of Lethbridge director infrastructure services Joel Sanchez said.
The plant is designed to treat 50 million litres of wastewater per day and already operates at or above that level during normal conditions because the incoming wastewater is so strong the release said.
The plan estimates upgrades and expansion will cost between $250 million and $350 million which “reflects the size of the plant and the complexity of the work required,” according to financial planning and budget manager Mitch Stevenson said.
The asset management plan was delivered to the city’s Community Issues Committee (CIC) on April 16 and presented as information, the release said.
The next phase will focus on funding options for the required upgrades and the administration will present those options including detailed design of the expansion and possible rate impacts at the May 13 CIC meeting, the release added.
