Construction crews worked through the winter to complete the City of Thompson, Manitoba’s new Wastewater Treatment Plant. As of yesterday, only a few hundred cubic meters of concrete remained to be poured of the 1900 total cubic metres that make up the Wastewater Treatment Plant’s lower levels, where the majority of process equipment will be housed.
“It’s exciting to see the new plant take form,” said Thompson’s Mayor Dennis Fenske. “Even before the ground-level facility has gone up, it’s become clear what a substantial upgrade the new plant will be from our old wastewater treatment plant.”
The construction of the concrete structure was among one of the most time-consuming tasks per section: where pre-cast slabs could not be installed, it could take up to two weeks just to install the supports to pour concrete sections over top of the structure. The next step will be installing the processing equipment that will in fact process waste water as it flows through the plant, including the critical Sequence Batch Reactor tanks. Already in place is the grit concentrator, which will remove abrasive solids like sand and asphalt, as well as food and organic particulates, before waste water is pushed further into the system. Grit removal maximizes the volume of water that can be pushed through remainder of the plant, while reducing maintenance costs due to clogs and abrasion.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing the finished facility begin its first day of operation next year,” said Development Review Committee Chair Penny Byer. “But I’m even more excited to walk down the Millennium Trail and smell flowers, instead of wastewater!”
On the other side of the city, the new lift station on Cree Road has been installed, and crews will begin pushing the new force main shortly. The lift station will allow wastewater to be pushed to the central wastewater treatment plant, and allow for the decommissioning of the existing lagoon south of the city.
