(file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

One time test

City plans for water treatment plants study to meet requirements

Nov 30, 2023 | 1:00 PM

The city has agreed to have a study completed on its two water treatment plants to ensure the effluent discharged into the North Saskatchewan River is within the allowable parameter limits.

Director of Operations Stewart Schafer discussed the matter at council’s meeting this week.

Four proposals were received, three of which met the requirements for the study in their submitted proposals. Of the three competing proponents, KGS Group had the highest score from the submissions and was the most cost-efficient.

Council approved the administration’s recommendation to award the contract for the two Water Treatment Plants’ Environmental Downstream Use and Impact study to KGS Group at $34,311, including $2,058 PST.

Schafer mentioned the city was not aware of the study requirement until after the 2023 budget was done. Administration issued a request for proposals on SaskTenders in late 2023, seeking firms interested in conducting the environmental study, with funding for the project earmarked in the 2024 budget.

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The study has now started and will be completed by the end of 2024, meeting the Water Security Agency’s requirements.

The city needed to conduct the study as a requirement to operate a waterworks system. Other cities that also draw water and put their effluent into the rivers will also need to complete the study.

Schafer said the study will help ensure the city’s effluent release meets the province’s requirements.

“What they are looking at is how much filter particles are we putting into the water,” he said.

The study has two components.

“[It’s] to look at the turbidity or the sediment that we’re putting into the water. Then, they will look and say downstream what are we doing for communities that take their water from the North Saskatchewan (River): Is it going to affect them and how it will affect them?” Schafer said. “The second part of the study is to say how is the sediment affecting the habitat for the fish and wildlife in the downstream of the water treatment plants,” he said.

He added people may not notice the study is underway.

“You’re not going to see a whole lot of work on this study. It’s going to be very non-intrusive…” Schafer said. “It will probably be two people [in a boat on the river] just taking samples.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @battlefordsnow