Overview

The North End Sewage Treatment Plant, otherwise known as the North End Water Pollution Control Center (NEWPCC), is the City of Winnipeg's oldest and largest sewage treatment plant. First commissioned in 1937, it provides 70 per cent of the city's wastewater treatment. As part of the Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Program (WSTP), NEWPCC will undergo one of the largest, most complicated upgrade projects in North America. The WSTP approach combines science, engineering, construction, operations and project management. It focuses on lifecycle costs, which includes the cost to build, operate, and maintain the plant. The upgrade includes improved treatment plant technology to remove nutrients and to treat wet weather flows. This upgrade is also addressing nutrient reuse and recovery, through the construction of a new biosolids processing facility.

Once these nutrients are removed from the wastewater, what do we do with it?
Traditionally these nutrients have been treated with chemicals and taken to the landfill. The NEWPCC upgrade will incorporate two new technologies in the treatment process to recover and reuse the nutrients:

1. Phosphorous, a non-renewable resource that is being depleted world-wide, will be recovered from the biosolids using equipment and technologies developed by Ostara. The end result of the recovery is a high value fertilizer (Crystal Green™).
2. The biosolids, a key by-product of wastewater treatment, will be treated by a high-temperature thermal-hydrolysis process developed by CambiTHP. This process will result in a pathogen free biosolid that is safe to use as fertilizer. The CambiTHP process also reduces the end volume of biosolids, thus reducing transportation costs.

The plant upgrades will accommodate future growth in the catchment area as well as provide treatment during wet weather events such as snow melt or large rainstorms.

A new power substation is required at NEWPCC to meet the additional power demand of the upgrades. The power supply upgrade will be delivered as a separate project from the larger NEWPCC upgrade. This will allow for early procurement of long-lead items, like transformers, and ensure that the additional power is available when needed.

Fast Facts

• NEWPCC currently treats enough wastewater to fill 75 Olympic sized swimming pools every day.
  
• In 2016, NEWPCC removed 1,959,600 kg of debris like sand, egg shells, floating plastics, sticks and paper, from wastewater. This is the equivalent weight of 725 full grown elephants.
  

The NEWPCC upgrade will include:

• a new raw sewage pump station
• a new grit and screenings (debris) building
• a biological nutrient removal reactor train with secondary clarifiers
• a new high rate clarifiers to provide wet weather flow treatment
• upgraded biosolids process, including thermal hydrolysis, digestion and struvite recovery

Updates

• City of Winnipeg Bid Opportunity 973-2016
  (www.winnipeg.ca/matmgt/bidopp.asp)
• Progress continues on development of a concept level design which will form the basis for the City of Winnipeg's project requirements. A number of ancillary projects and activities are underway in anticipation of the upgrade.

Links

• City of Winnipeg Bid Opportunity 973-2016 (www.winnipeg.ca/matmgt/bidopp.asp)
  This link will direct you to the City of Winnipeg Materials Management webpage that provides Bid Opportunity information.
• MERX 386132 (www.merx.com, search "City of Winnipeg")
  This link will direct you to the MERX website that provides a list of Canadian Public Tenders.
• North End Water Pollution Control Centre
  Manitoba Environment Act Licence No. 2684RRR (revised June 19, 2009)
  This link will direct you to the Provincial Government of Manitoba website to view a copy of Licence No. 2684RRR.

Frequently Asked Questions

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