Province rejects sewage project extension

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This article was published 19/07/2024 (445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government has denied a city request for a two-year extension on the deadline to complete a massive sewage plant upgrade, saying the work is urgently needed to reduce water pollution.

Manitoba Environment Minister Tracy Schmidt said algae-promoting nutrients that leave the north end sewage treatment plant and end up in Lake Winnipeg threaten tourism, fisheries and the livelihood of First Nations that depend on the lake.

“The lake is in serious trouble. We are seeing algal blooms, toxic algal blooms. There’s no more time to wait. The time is now. Lake Winnipeg, and all of our waterways in Manitoba, are a priority for this government,” Schmidt said.

The plant upgrade is Winnipeg’s most expensive infrastructure project yet and aims to increase sewage treatment capacity and greatly reduce the amount of algae-promoting nitrogen and phosphorus that flows out of the plant.

The minister noted the lake’s health has been deteriorating for decades. She said it’s too soon to say how much more money the province could contribute to finish the multi-billion-dollar sewage plant upgrade.

“The province of Manitoba has already invested millions of dollars into this project. We’re going to continue to support this project. But … I think at this stage of the planning process, we’re still too early to talk about specific funds,” Schmidt said.

She stressed prompt action is needed to prevent further cost hikes.

“Every year that goes by, inflation increases, costs increase, so that is yet another reason why we want to work with the city to make sure this gets done as soon as possible,” she added.

The Lake Winnipeg Foundation and some city councillors have suggested reducing the scope and cost of the project’s third and final phase by concentrating on only reducing phosphorous, not also algae-promoting nitrogen. Schmidt said her government will continue to push for the original plan to be carried out.

“We believe that the licensing conditions under the plan that the province has issued and is working with the city to accomplish (are) the right (ones),” she said.

The provincial response comes a few months after the city asked for the deadline to be extended from the end of 2030 to 2032, stating the earlier date could make the project riskier and increase its cost.

“Speeding up is riskier for cost overruns, schedule delays, plant performance issues during the upgrades, resourcing, and co-ordination … When construction schedules are shortened, a premium is paid to complete the work in a shorter time frame than it would typically take,” water and waste spokeswoman Lisa Marquardson wrote in an April statement.

The city warned earlier this year that meeting a 2030 deadline could raise “affordability concerns” for Winnipeg water and sewer ratepayers if more government funding isn’t secured. A city report notes the provincial and federal governments have committed $581.11 million for the work. The full, three-phase project is officially expected to cost $2.38 billion, which a recent city report noted could increase to $3 billion.

The province said in a July 15 letter it is “critical” for the city to meet milestones for the mega-project, including finalizing an updated cost estimate for the third phase by Sept. 30.

Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of the city’s water and waste committee, said it’s tough to determine the project’s deadline when so much of its third phase, which focuses on reducing algae-promoting nutrients, remains unfunded.

“We’ve allocated $18 million to a billion-dollar project … There’s an element of fantasy to debating whether we’ll be done in 2030 or 2032, if you haven’t put any money aside,” he said.

City council has yet to secure any senior government funding to help cover a $482-million increase for the project’s second phase and has no plan to pay for the third and final phase.

Mayes said the letter offers some hope other governments are ready to move forward on plans to complete the upgrade.

“It opens (the door) a bit … I didn’t take it as all negative or catastrophic by any means … I kind of see it as an invitation to try and get all three levels (of government) to sit down and come up with a plan,” he said.

Mayes said officials have indicated the two final phases of the project could happen concurrently, though that would require ample funding and resources.

“It would be a ton of money, and you’d need a ton of workers, skilled labour to do it at the same time … (but) maybe it’s possible,” he said.

A request to speak with a Winnipeg water and waste official was not granted Friday.

Spokesman David Driedger said in an email the rejection of the deadline extension does not affect work already underway on the upgrade.

“We continue to work on completing the (sewage plant) upgrades,” Driedger wrote.

The statement said the city is now working on “interim compliance” options.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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