Concrete work drives water treatment plant repair bill

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/05/2022 (1263 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A multimillion-dollar concrete repair tab is the main culprit behind the major cost hike to fix Winnipeg’s drinking water treatment plant.

The $300-million Deacon facility began operation in December 2009. By 2012, it suffered from a leaky roof and some equipment had failed and/or exploded, a city legal statement claims.

In 2018, a city report outlined about $6 million of work needed to repair those issues. At the time, many believed that was the full cost of repairs.

However, a recent report notes the city now expects to spend $24 million on concrete rehabilitation and another $5 million to replace the main roof. The city previously spent about $1.7 million on Deacon repairs, so those additions would bring known costs to around $31 million so far.

“The key reason for the increase in repair costs from 2018 to 2022 is the inclusion of the costs to address the surface distress of the concrete… The construction budget from the roof replacement on the main water treatment plant building also increased by approximately $2.5 million, as additional scope was added to ensure the current roof issues do not occur again in the future,” said Lisa Marquardson, water and waste spokeswoman, in an emailed statement.

Roofing material prices have also increased over the past year “due to volatile market conditions,” she said.

A 2018 report did note the roof and concrete repair costs still required further investigations and could be “substantive,” Marquardson said.

The full repair tab is still not yet known.

The latest repair report notes officials also expect to re-establish a generation system for sodium hypochlorite (used to disinfect water), after the original equipment failed and led the city to order the chemical instead. The cost of that work will be determined through a preliminary design process, which is expected in 2025, according to the city.

In 2015, the city filed a lawsuit against multiple builders over alleged construction deficiencies at the plant. Those allegations were never tested in court because the city missed a key legal deadline to move the case forward.

The city has repeatedly noted none of the deficiencies have affected the plant’s ability to provide safe drinking water.

It’s expected to take more than a decade to complete all of the Deacon water plant repairs.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga