Water Treatment Plant Expansion

About the Project

The City of Portage la Prairie (City) water treatment plant (WTP) is currently running at capacity and has limited redundancy.  An expansion is needed to meet current and future water demands.  Also, disinfection by-products are often over the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) in the outlying Rural Municipalities (RMs) that purchase our water.  An expansion to the existing WTP has been identified as the solution to ensure a reliable water supply in the future.  Stantec Engineering was the firm that won the tender for the functional design, they were also procured for the detailed design and project management. City Administration has been working with Stantec, and the Manitoba Water Services Board on the final design for the expansion project, which will increase the total firm capacity of the facility to 55 MLD and a total overall capacity of 72 MLD.

The design year for the facility is 2050. The design basis included City population growth, the projected future needs of the four existing major industries, additional rural pipeline demand, as well as approximately 6.2ML per day for future industrial capacity. 

A new raw water intake is planned for this upgrade.  The current raw water intake is combined with the aging provincial Portage Reservoir spillway dam, on the Assiniboine River (River).  The intake facility does not meet current Fisheries and Oceans requirements to reduce the entrapment of fish and other aquatic life.  The plans for the new intake structure will address these concerns, and the new screens will be downstream of the dam less prone to sediment and better suited for drought conditions. 

The chosen process for the expansion will be a dual, ultra and reverse osmosis membrane system. These systems are more efficient at removing organics and pollutants from the water than the current conventional lime softening system.  The planned water blend will be two-thirds membrane to one-third conventional.

Membrane water treatment processes use a lower volume of chemicals compared to conventional lime softening.  The lime sludge produced will be reduced by two-thirds.  Every year the existing plant produces upwards of 10,000 tonnes of lime sludge that needs landfill disposal.  The production of the lime, trucking lime to WTP, pumping the lime sludge after use to the holding ponds, and then trucking the lime sludge to the landfill, creates a sizable amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Other chemical volumes would also be reduced and the WTP’s carbon footprint would drop significantly.  Also, the current WTP has minimal flood protection.  It is planned to construct a dyke around the low-lying facility with the extra fill from the excavation.

The current projected costs of the project are $96.6 Million.  The Province of Manitoba has provided $40.025 Million in funding. The City has $1.75 Million in its reserve held for the project, and has asked permission from the Public Utilities Board and the Municipal Board to issue debenture debt of up to $55,204,000 repayable over 30 years at an interest rate estimated at 7%.  An application has been made to the federal government for funding through the Canada Housing and Infrastructure Fund, however, the federal government has yet to make funding announcements for the program. 

Engagement

A Public Open House was held on February 6, 2025 from 3:00 - 7:00 pm at Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment, providing a valuable opportunity to learn about the expansion, ask questions and provide feedback.

Follow the link to review the Water Treatment Plant Expansion Public Open House documents.