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 percent of the city's wastewater treatment.

An Environment Act Licence has been issued for NEWPCC requiring treatment for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). As part of the Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Program (WSTP), NEWPCC will is undergoing one of the largest, most complicated upgrade projects in North America in order to meet the requirements of the Environment Act Licence.

The upgrades include improved treatment plant technology that protects our waterways by reducing the amount of nutrients we release into our rivers and lakes, including Lake Winnipeg. Upgrades will also improve our treatment of wet weather flows and address nutrient reuse and recovery, through the construction of a new biosolids processing facility.

The upgrades are being done in three phases:

1. NEWPCC Upgrade: Power Supply and Headworks Facilities
   A new power substation is required at NEWPCC to meet the additional power demand. The power supply upgrade will be delivered as a separate project from the new headworks facilities. This will allow for early procurement of long-lead items, like transformers, and ensure that the additional power is available when needed. Upgrades to the Headworks Facilities will provide new wastewater pumps and improved screening and grit removal. This project has been approved and funded. The funding request was sent to the Province of Manitoba under the Investing in Canada program.
2. NEWPCC Upgrade: Biosolids Facilities
   A new facility to turn wastewater sludge into biosolids treat biosolids will be constructed. This project has been approved, subject to funding from other levels of government. A funding request has been sent to Province under the Investing in Canada program.
3. NEWPCC Upgrade: Nutrient Removal Facilities
   A new facility to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from our wastewater will be constructed. This project has not yet been approved or funded.

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.

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

• NEWPCC Upgrade project progress report #3 (March 11, 2020)
• NEWPCC Upgrade project progress report #2 (February 12, 2020)
• Interim Phosphorous Reduction and Nutrient Removal Plan
• NEWPCC Upgrade project progress report #1 (December 27, 2019)
• City of Winnipeg Open Capital Dashboard Page
• Testing of the Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment Process for Phosphorus Removal (Standing Policy Committee on Water and Waste, Riverbank Management and the Environment – October 3, 2019)
• North End Sewage Treatment Plant Biological Nutrient Removal Upgrade Project Report (Standing Policy Committee on Water and Waste, Riverbank Management and the Environment – February 14, 2019)
• City of Winnipeg Bid Opportunity 973-2016 (www.winnipeg.ca/matmgt/bidopp.asp)
• A concept design has been completed and a number of ancillary projects and activities are underway in anticipation of the upgrade.

Links

• City of Winnipeg Open Capital Dashboard Page
• Protecting our waterways
• Testing of the Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment Process for Phosphorus Removal (Standing Policy Committee on Water and Waste, Riverbank Management and the Environment – October 3, 2019)
• North End Sewage Treatment Plant Biological Nutrient Removal Upgrade Project Report (Standing Policy Committee on Water and Waste, Riverbank Management and the Environment – February 14, 2019)
• 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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