Lagoon Decommissioning & Reclamation
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Water
Project value$2,655,000
Project Type
Pilot Project
Sub Sector
Wastewater Management and Treatment
Grant amount$39,500
Program type
GMF
Municipality
Rural Municipality of Gimli, MB
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
6,569
Project timeline
2004 - 2011
Project number
5280
Description
The Rural Municipality of Gimli will field test the conversion of its existing sewage lagoon system into a wetland habitatsystem, which will provide polishing treatment for the effluent from the existing and converted lagoons. A beneficialelement of the project will be the composting of the existing sludge build-up in the primary and secondary cells - aconsiderable saving (approximately $750,000) over the cells being dredged and the sludge physically removed toanother site, such as a landfill. This approach represents also considerable cost savings over “business as usual” - i.e.decommissioning the old lagoon with quite prohibitive remediation costs to return the land to “productive” use. The studyincludes also the development of hiking trails, viewing blinds and rest stations on a portion of the adjacent lands. Theseactions would improve the area for wildlife habitat and stimulate tourism. Public consultations will be held to considerdesign options that best serve the needs of the community. Consultations will be carried out also with the Government ofCanada Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Government of Manitoba Departments of Conservation and WaterStewardship.
Applicant
Rural Municipality of Gimli, MB