Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)

Summary of Recent Work Completed

1. Pumping upgrades
   • Installation of the new building mechanical (HVAC) system within the South Lift Station (SLS) is nearing completion.
   • Completed conversion of the former generator room into a new electrical room. New electrical equipment for the SLS is being installed and commissioned.
   • Ongoing health and safety enhancements within the facility, including improved access for City staff to the facility’s wet well. Public Works has been working closely with the City’s contractor (Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd., MRCL) for scheduling and completion of these tasks.
   • Preparation for installation of new security fencing around the SLS building and related out-buildings. The fencing will maintain public access to the existing trails in the area, while enhancing security around the City’s critical assets. This fence installation may carry forward to 2024.
2. Treatment upgrades
   • Completed transfer of the plastic Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) media into the MBBR tanks.
   • Exterior and interior finishes for main Process Building are now complete. All major process equipment and electrical equipment are now installed within the building and have been commissioned. Most systems are now in the final start-up phase or are already online.
   • Construction of the MBBR tanks and lift station is now complete. Facility lighting and electrical plug-ins are installed. All staircases installed for the structure, and exterior cladding installation is complete.
   • Upgrades to treatment lagoon cells complete and are in use by the City. This included removal of the existing 30+ year old aeration equipment, removal of the accumulated sludge, and the installation of the new aeration equipment.
   • All internal site works are now completed (culvert installation, final grading including ditch construction, permanent internal road construction, landscaping, etc.).
   • Conversion of the former blower building into a new storage building and workshop is ongoing. This work will continue into early 2024.
3. Storage upgrades, including landfill clay stockpile
   • All work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project (project #1020) is complete.
   • Completed final modifications to flow control structures between existing storage lagoon cells. Deficiency cleanup in treated wastewater storage Cell I is now complete.
4. Final landscaping, construction of parking lot and trail access, etc.
   • New trail access / parking lot near the outdoor gun ranges and landfill entrance is now complete.
   • Installation of new municipal addressing sign for the main WWTP property is ongoing.
5. General requirements
   • Ongoing payments as outlined in the General Requirements portion of the contract.

Summary of Upcoming Work

Based on MRCL’s latest work plan, the following is a summary of the main activities that will occur, as well as the anticipated timelines for each activity. Administration has organized this summary using the same categories as noted above:

All work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project is now complete.

The WWTP upgrade project is expected to be substantially complete by December 2023, with final cleanup of work being completed in the spring of 2024. Various construction activities will also carry into 2024, although these will not impact the performance of the upgraded WWTP. The December 2023 timeframe is later than what was required in the City’s contract with MRCL, which specifies a Substantial Completion date of the end of October 2023. Some of MRCL’s activities were delayed from their original contract dates as a result of cleanup activities from a chemical release from the Cargill canola crushing facility into the City’s WWTP in June 2023.

Current Financial Status of Projects, including Approved Scope Changes

The following is a summary of the approved budgets and current / projected spending for the WWTP and landfill clay purchase projects.

As noted in the following tables, the City has spent over $39,540,000 on the WWTP project to date. The remaining WWTP project expenses will be realized by the spring of 2024.

As well, the Camrose Regional Solid Waste Authority – for which the City acts as Administrator – spent over $1,551,000 on the Landfill Clay Purchase project. As this project is now complete, any further invoices from MRCL or from the City’s consultant (AE) will be billed entirely to the WWTP Upgrade project.

The next planned Council update for this project will be in January 2024. Full details from this recent update to Council can be found in the October 30, 2023, Committee of the Whole Agenda.

We are proud that we were highlighted in the CWWB Watersource magazine for our community engagement for this project. Read the article online here!

The new, expanded Emergency Overflow Pond is now functional, doubling our storage capacity of waste from 7,000 cubic meters to 14,000 cubic meters. The new Overflow Pond is just South of the existing pond and acts as another layer of protection to our water way.

The Emergency Overflow Pond reduces the risk of untreated waste flowing into the Stoney Creek during a major storm event.

Our South Lift Station is a small building but major player in our waste water treatment system. It breaks down and then pumps waste water from the City up to the lagoons to be treated. A major storm may cause flow rates that are faster than the South Lift Station can pump, so the Overflow Ponds capture that flow until a time that the water can be processed and pumped through the South Lift Station.

The Ponds may contain waste water during or following a major storm event so we ask the public to avoid the ponds and to not let pets drink from the ponds. This is just one way our new Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrade is protecting the Stoney Creek, and the overall Battle River Watershed, today and how we are doing our part to ensure we have clean drinking water for future generations.

The unloading of the final batches of "Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor" (MBBR) media will be completed soon! As a crucial component of the MBBR process, the City will have approximately 630 million of these small plastic discs, also known as MBBR media, housed within large concrete tanks. Bacteria will grow on the MBBR media, and these bacteria will consume the ammonia in the City’s wastewater as part of the treatment process.

(MBBR Media compared to a Toonie)

Summary of Recent Work Completed

1. Pumping upgrades
   • Removal of the existing building mechanical (HVAC) system from within the South Lift Station (SLS). Installation of the new HVAC system is ongoing.
   • Removal of the old generator for the SLS building. Conversion of the former generator room into a new electrical room is ongoing. The new exterior generator has been commissioned, and is currently providing backup power for the facility.
   • Preparation for health and safety enhancements within the facility (including improved access for City staff to the facility’s wet well). Public Works has been working closely with the City’s contractor (Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd., MRCL) on these tasks.
   • Preparation for installation of new security fencing around the SLS building and related out-buildings. The fencing will maintain public access to the existing trails in the area, while enhancing security around the City’s critical assets.
2. Treatment upgrades
   • Completed delivery of the remaining plastic Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) media, and started transferring the media into the MBBR tanks.
   • Exterior finishes for main Process Building are now complete. Interior finishes largely complete. All major process equipment is now installed within the building (valves, flow meters, chemical dosing systems, mixers, etc.), as is the building mechanical equipment (HVAC units, ceiling fans, etc.). Installation of the building’s electrical equipment and wiring nearing completion, including installation of the Motor Control Centre (MCC).
   • Construction of the MBBR tanks and lift station now largely complete, including process equipment (pumps, piping, valves, flow meter, etc.), aeration piping, and electrical / instrumentation. Permanent handrails around the structure are installed. North and east staircases installed to the top of the MBBR tanks, while shorter staircase to MBBR pump station is currently being installed. Installation of exterior cladding for the MBBR tanks is ongoing.
   • Upgrades to treatment lagoon Cells A and B nearing completion. This included removal of existing 30+ year old aeration equipment, removal of accumulated sludge, and installation of new aeration equipment. All work related to the treatment lagoon cell upgrades is expected to be complete by the end of August.
   • Temporary construction roads removed. Remaining site works ongoing (culvert installation, final grading including ditch construction, permanent internal road construction, landscaping, etc.); these tasks will be complete by the end of August.
3. Storage upgrades, including landfill clay stockpile
   • Completed the majority of hauling of clay material to a new stockpile at the Camrose Regional Sanitary Landfill. Some minor movement of clay in and out of the landfill stockpile will continue throughout 2023 until final site grading work at the main WWTP site is complete.
   • Notwithstanding the remaining site grading work at the WWTP site, all work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project (project #1020) is now effectively complete. The remaining clay at the landfill stockpile will be used for future landfill capital projects, including the construction of a new waste transfer station, and the capping / closure of the existing landfill cells.
   • Completed final modifications to flow control structures / piping between existing storage lagoon cells. Some minor deficiency cleanup work still outstanding for treated wastewater storage Cell I.
4. Final landscaping, construction of parking lot and trail access, etc.
   • Completed construction of a new trail access / parking lot near the outdoor gun ranges / landfill entrance. Installation of fencing around the parking lot nearing completion.
   • Fabrication ongoing for a new municipal addressing sign for the main WWTP property; sign installation to follow once WWTP site works complete (grading, road construction, landscaping).
5. General requirements
   • Ongoing payments as outlined in the General Requirements portion of the contract.

Summary of Upcoming Work

Based on MRCL’s latest work plan, the following is a summary of the main activities that will occur, as well as the anticipated timelines for each activity. Administration has organized this summary using the same categories as noted above:

All work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project is effectively complete. MRCL will continue to move clay in/out of the existing stockpile as needed for final grading at the main WWTP site.

The WWTP upgrades are planned to be substantially complete by early November 2023, with final cleanup of work being completed in the spring of 2024. The November timeframe is slightly later than what required in the City’s contract with MRCL, which specifies a Substantial Completion date of the end of October 2023. At the last Council update, Administration noted that this date was to be late November as a result of delivery delays for major pieces of electrical equipment (the Motor Control Centres or MCCs). The MCCs were delivered to site in early July, which was about two weeks prior to the latest projection. As a result, the anticipated substantial completion date has been advanced to early November.

The City and its consultant (Associated Engineering, AE) have been working closely with MRCL to minimize the impact of the MCC delivery delay. At this time, Administration does not anticipate any concerns related to the start-up / commissioning activities, or for ongoing performance of the WWTP at the end of this project.

Current Financial Status of Projects, including Approved Scope Changes

The following is a summary of the approved budgets and current / projected spending for the WWTP and landfill clay purchase projects.

As noted in the following tables, the City has spent over $39,165,000 on the WWTP project to date. The remaining WWTP project expenses will be realized by the spring of 2024.

As well, the Camrose Regional Solid Waste Authority – for which the City acts as Administrator – has spent over $1,551,000 on the Landfill Clay Purchase project to date. As this project is now substantially complete, any further invoices from MRCL or from the City’s consultant (AE) will be billed entirely to the WWTP Upgrade project.

The next planned Council update for this project will be in October 2023. Full details from this recent update to Council can be found in the July 24, 2023, Committee of the Whole Agenda.

Have you noticed something in the air? The construction of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant involves completely replacing the aeration system in the treatment lagoons. A higher number of odor issues are expected this summer as we take the old system offline and put in the new system. This work is likely to take until the end of August, however, the new system will improve treatment and odor issues in the long run!

Article by Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster

On July 6 City of Camrose Councillors Agnes Hoveland, Kevin Hycha, Lucas Banack and Don Rosland, joined City of Camrose Infrastructure General Manager Kris Johnson, Engineering Services Manager Jeremy Enarson and Engineering Services Assistant Kirsten Nichols, started the process of putting the Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor or MBBR media plastic discs into the large concrete holding tanks of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

“The main unloading of the over 630 million media will be completed by the WWTP main contractor starting in early to mid-July, continuing over the next six weeks,” explained Enarson.

The discs are placed in the tanks as an integral part of the process to remove ammonia from the city’s wastewater.

“The plastic discs will be circulating around in the tanks while bacteria grow on the surfaces of the discs. When the discs come in contact with the wastewater, the bacteria will digest the ammonia, therefore reducing the amount of ammonia in the city’s treated wastewater. To help speed along this process, the City will be pumping air into the wastewater using blowers, which will provide both mixing of the plastic discs, as well as the oxygen that the bacteria will need to digest the ammonia.”

Enarson further explained why this process is vital. “The ammonia, if it gets out into the environment in high concentrations, can result in a fish kill. The result of what the City is doing with the MBBR plastic discs is lowering ammonia levels in treated wastewater, which will have less of an impact on the fish environment.”

The other important component of the Wastewater Treatment Plant is the removal of phosphorus which occurs in the main processing building.

“While phosphorus is not immediately toxic to fish, phosphorus and other nutrients can be released into the environment and that can lead to the algae blooms that you see on lakes which depletes the oxygen levels and that can kill fish over time. By removing phosphorus from the City’s wastewater, we are also improving the quality of what is released back to the environment.”

Upgrades to the City of Camrose Wastewater Treatment Plant began in 2021 with an expected timeline of completion in early 2024.

The proposed $51.1 million upgrades are intended to meet requirements for additional capacity and the need for higher treatment standards driven by regulations. This upgraded plant will provide cleaner water back into the watershed and give the community room to grow.

Pictured left to right are City of Camrose Councillors Lucas Banack and Kevin Hycha, City of Camrose Engineering Services Manager Jeremy Enarson, and Councillors Don Rosland and Agnes Hoveland doing the inaugural dropping of the MBBR plastic discs into the south MBBR holding tank of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant, on July 6.

Summary of Recent Work Completed

1. Pumping upgrades
   • Refurbishment of the first two of the existing four pumps within the South Lift Station (SLS). This work will help to ensure the ongoing performance of the pumps into the future.
   • Preparation for health and safety enhancements within the facility (including improved access for City staff to the facility’s wet well). Public Works has been working closely with the City’s contractor (Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd., MRCL) on these tasks.
2. Treatment upgrades
   • Meter for natural gas service was installed by ATCO Gas. MRCL is now using natural gas for the duration of the construction phase of this project. The City will back-charge MRCL for any natural gas costs incurred during construction. This will happen once the project is substantially complete and the facility has been handed over to the City for ongoing operations.
   • Exterior finishes are largely complete for main Process Building, including installation of exterior man-doors and overhead doors. Interior finishes ongoing, including drywall, taping/mudding and painting of interior partition walls. Ongoing installation of all major process equipment (valves, flow meters, chemical dosing systems, mixers, etc.) and building mechanical equipment (HVAC units, ceiling fans, etc.). Start of installation of the building’s major electrical equipment.
   • Completion of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) tanks, including leak testing of the influent and effluent flow channels and of the MBBR lift station. Process equipment (pumps, piping, valves, flow meter, etc.) within MBBR lift station largely complete. Ongoing installation of aeration piping within MBBR tanks. Completing installation of permanent handrails around the structure, and of the north staircase.
   • Start of delivery of the MBBR media to the project site, with over 50% of the media currently on site. The media will be installed within the MBBR tanks this summer.
   • Preparation for remaining upgrades to treatment lagoon Cells “A” and “B”. This will include removal of existing 30+ year old aeration equipment, removal of accumulated sludge, and installation of new aeration equipment. These tasks will occur between May and September.
   • Preparation for remaining site works (removal of temporary construction roads, final grading, road construction, landscaping, etc.), which will be completed between May and July.
3. Storage upgrades, including landfill clay stockpile (project #1020)
   • Completed the majority of hauling of clay material to a new stockpile at the Camrose Regional Sanitary Landfill. Some minor movement of clay in and out of the landfill stockpile will continue throughout 2023 until final site grading work at the main WWTP site is complete.
   • Notwithstanding the remaining site grading work at the WWTP site, all work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project is now effectively complete.
4. Final landscaping, construction of parking lot and trail access, etc.
   • Additional meetings with the local gun clubs to finalize the plan for the construction of a new trail access / parking lot. This work will be completed in May and June.
   • Finalized design for new municipal addressing sign for the main WWTP property. Sign fabrication ongoing.
5. General requirements
   • Ongoing payments as outlined in the General Requirements portion of the contract.

Summary of Upcoming Work

Based on MRCL’s latest work plan, the following is a summary of the main activities that will occur, as well as the anticipated timelines for each activity. Administration has organized this summary using the same categories as noted above:

All work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project is effectively complete. MRCL will continue to move clay in/out of the stockpile as needed for final grading at the main WWTP site.

The WWTP upgrades are planned to be substantially complete by November 2023, with final cleanup of work being completed in the spring of 2024. The November timeframe is later than what required in the City’s contract with MRCL, which specifies a Substantial Completion date of the end of October 2023. Unfortunately, this date was pushed back as a result of delivery delays for major pieces of electrical equipment (the Motor Control Centres or MCCs). The City and its consultant (Associated Engineering, AE) are working closely with MRCL to minimize the impact of this equipment delivery delay on the overall project, and to ensure that this delay will not adversely impact the start-up procedures and the ongoing performance of the WWTP at the end of this project.

Current Financial Status of Projects, including Approved Scope Changes

The following is a summary of the approved budgets and current / projected spending for the WWTP and landfill clay purchase projects.

As noted in the following tables, the City has spent over $33,293,000 on the WWTP project to date. The remaining WWTP project expenses will be realized by the spring of 2024.

As well, the Camrose Regional Solid Waste Authority – for which the City acts as Administrator – has spent over $1,551,000 on the Landfill Clay Purchase project to date. As this project is now substantially complete, any further invoices from MRCL or from the City’s consultant (AE) will be billed entirely to the WWTP Upgrade project.

The next planned Council update for this project will be in July 2023. Full details from this recent update to Council can be found in the April 24, 2023, Committee of the Whole Agenda.

Manager of Engineering, Jeremy Enarson, and Communications Coordinator, Sara Walkey, were honoured to be guests at the Rotary Club meeting where Jeremy provided an in-depth update on the Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade.

We would be happy to answer any questions you have about this project so please contact our Engineering Department at 780.672.4428 or engineer@camrose.ca.

Summary of Recent Work Completed

1. Pumping upgrades
   • Delivery and installation of new back-up generator for the South Lift Station (SLS) facility. Once commissioned in Q1/Q2 of 2023, this generator will replace the existing ~30 year old generator which is located within the facility, while the former generator room in the SLS will be repurposed as the new electrical room for the facility.
2. Treatment upgrades
   • City fiber optic line adjacent to WWTP site was relocated to allow for final site grading and drainage improvements in 2023.
   • ATCO Gas completed extension of gas main along 50 Street to the WWTP site.
   • Fortis completed installation of new power service and transformer at WWTP site.
   • Delivery and installation of new back-up generator for the WWTP site. This generator will be connected and commissioned in Q1/Q2 of 2023.
   • Completed construction of new aerated treatment cell, Cell “C2”, including layout of new aeration piping within the cell. The aeration system within Cell “C2” will be commissioned in Q2 of 2023.
   • Removed sludge from treatment cell, Cell “C1” (formerly Cell “C”). Replaced aeration piping and diffusers within the cell. The aeration system is currently receiving air from the existing blowers, but will be switched over to the new blowers in the Process Building in Q2 of 2023.
   • Foundtions and concrete floor slab complete. Pre-engineered building erected. Installation of exterior wall panels ongoing. Interior concrete tankage / containment walls poured. Installation of interior partition walls ongoing. Various equipment installed (new aeration and MBBR blowers, disc filters, equipment for flocculation tanks, various pumps, valves, etc.). Start of installation of building mechanical ducting and equipment.
   • Completion of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) tanks, including the influent and effluent flow channels on either side of the tanks. MBBR lift station construction to be complete by end of February. Installation of aeration equipment within the MBBR tanks ongoing.o Additional site works completed prior to freeze-up. Remaining site works to be completed in Q2 of 2023.
3. Storage upgrades, including landfill clay stockpile (project #1020)
   • Completed deepening of storage Cell “I”, and reconstructed clay liner within the cell. This work was completed in 2022, although some deficiency repairs planned in Q2 of 2023 prior to the storage cell being available for City use.
   • Completed the majority of the hauling of clay material to a new stockpile at the Camrose Regional Sanitary Landfill. Some minor movement of clay in and out of the stockpile will continue in early 2023 until final site grading work at the main WWTP site is complete.
4. Final landscaping, construction of parking lot and trail access, etc.
   • Admin met with the local gun clubs to review the current plans for this work. This meeting resulted in some changes to the proposed layout of the parking area and fencing improvements. This work will be completed in Q2 of 2023.
5. General requirements
   • Ongoing payments as outlined in the General Requirements portion of the contract.

Summary of Upcoming Work

Based on MRCL’s latest work plan, the following is a summary of the main activities that will occur, as well as the anticipated timelines for each activity. Administration has organized this summary using the same categories as noted above:

All work related to the Landfill Clay Purchase project is nearing completion, although MRCL will continue to move clay in/out of the stockpile as needed for final grading at the main WWTP site. The WWTP upgrades are planned to be substantially complete by October 2023, with final cleanup of work being completed in the spring of 2024. This is unchanged from what was stated in prior updates.

Current Financial Status of Projects, including Approved Scope Changes

The following is a summary of the approved budgets and current / projected spending for the WWTP and landfill clay purchase projects.

The next planned Council update for this project will be in April 2023. Full details from this recent update to Council can be found in the January 23, 2023, Committee of the Whole Agenda.