City of Thompson Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades and Associated Works

The City of Thompson will construct a centralized wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to meet federal and provincial guidelines, and to ensure phosphorus compliance by July 2017. The City of Thompson’s Sustainable Community Plan outlines how important new infrastructure is in supporting the growth of the city, and identifies the need of a new WWTP to supply the expanded residential, infill, and commercial developments planned for Thompson. The City currently operates two aging wastewater treatment systems, a WWTP and a lagoon, that do not meet effluent requirement, and generate significant odors. With many components no longer functional, upgrading the current system is not recommended. Following a review of several options, it was concluded that constructing a single centralized WWTP at the existing WWTP site would be the most practical and cost-effective option. The proposed WWTP is based on a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology followed by an ultraviolet disinfection system. The new system will significantly improve the overall quality of the effluent discharged to the Burntwood River, and will include sludge treatment along with a dedicated odor control system. The WWTP will also include: • The latest SCADA system to control and optimize the SBR process. • A robust monitoring and evaluation system. • Fine screens and high efficiency Eutek Head Cell for grit removal. • An Andritz Centrifuge system to produce a compacted low moisture sludge cake reducing the volume of solid waste. • An energy efficient building design with an exhaust air energy recovery system, and a high efficiency HVAC system. • The reuse of the final effluent for plant use (for example during wash down) instead of using potable water. • Low flush toilets. Once the new WWTP is commissioned the City will convert the existing lagoon to a composting site and utilize a portion of the sludge from the new WWTP to produce compost. The existing WWTP building will be remodeled to house the water and sewer materials and equipment. The facility will also have a receiving station that will receive truck-hauled wastewater from the adjoining campsites and other communities with no access to wastewater treatment, thus offering improved environmental sanitation for neighbouring communities. The Trojan Signa UV System that was selected will be the first of its kind in Manitoba. This system reduces the cost of ownership and has a simplified operation and maintenance design, providing knowledge value for other communities. (Project description from original funding application)