Humboldt Wastewater Treatment Expansion Feasibility Study and Engineering

The City of Humboldt will evaluate system upgrade options for their existing wastewater lagoon treatment facility to accommodate a growing population, increased stormwater infiltration, and to address ongoing odour problems. Upgrade options may allow the City to extend the life of current infrastructure and continue to meet federal and provincial effluent regulations. Currently, effluent is released bi-annually into Stoney (Humboldt) Lake, a fish bearing waterbody. In respect to that, a downstream impact study will be conducted to determine what variability in effluent volume and release frequency will be allowable under a new treatment system to protect downstream ecological health. Effluent volumes will be based on a projected population increase from six to eight thousand with expandability capabilities of up to twelve thousand. In addition, the new system will target a hydraulic capacity to adequately handle heavy rainfall scenarios where increased flows cause the bypassing of untreated water into Stoney Lake and the erosion of lagoon berms. Current public concerns of odour will also be factored in, both as a part of the new system and in the short-term until the larger upgrade can be completed. A conceptual options review will identify viable solutions based on the determined capacity requirements. Some processes that will be considered include; Submerged Aerated Growth Reactor, Sequential Batch Reactor, and a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor. Feasibility studies will be conducted for the top three options. City Council will decide on the preferred option based on recommendations from City staff, consultants and feedback gathered from public open houses. Finally, a preliminary design report will be completed for the chosen process or system to identify high-level costing, locations, and timelines. This initiative is Supported by the City of Humboldt’s Official Community Plan, Planning for Engineering for Growth Study (2014), and the Lagoon Odour Issues Report (2016). This study has replicability potential nationwide including the over 500 Saskatchewan communities that utilize lagoon systems for their wastewater treatment. In particular, knowledge value specific to short and long term odour control may be significant for communities with similar issues caused by centralized facilities or encroaching residential development. (Project description from original funding application)