An important step

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/07/2024 (606 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It seems like nary a day goes by without a flurry of news popping up about Winnipeg’s North End Water Pollution Control Centre, or NEWPCC, the mega wastewater project for our city.

First up, we welcomed the news that an interim solution to reduce the amount of phosphorus that that facility spills back into the watershed became fully operational. Last week, we learned that the overall project won’t be extended until 2032 (and has to stick to its original 2030 deadline), just after the City of Winnipeg awarded a consortium of construction firms a $95-million contract to design and develop the next phase of upgrades.

It sounds like a lot — likely because it is. So, let me break it down for you a little.

First up, let’s consider the science behind all these decisions.

In a nutshell, phosphorus causes algal blooms in freshwater lakes — those dense layers of smelly and unsightly tiny green plants that occur on the surface of lakes in the summer — to which dwellers or frequenters of Lake Winnipeg are certainly no stranger.

They’re ugly and annoying, but they’re also pernicious, and can be toxic to flora and fauna within the freshwater bodies they invade, as well as those who dive into them.

Over 50 years of unparalleled freshwater science undertaken at IISD Experimental Lakes Area, just a few hours from the city, have taught us that reducing how much phosphorus enters into a watershed is essential to reducing algal bloom proliferation.

Phosphorus is what we need to focus on.

Which is why, the fact that both the province and the city have prioritized tackling phosphorus, and putting in place an interim solution, even as long-term upgrades are ongoing, is worth celebrating.

Then, the decision to stick with a 2030 deadline. They’re on the hook for 2030 to bring the NEWPCC emissions of phosphorus down to 1 mg/L, but with this interim solution in place, there might be ways to get there sooner. Manitoba’s 100,000 lakes can’t wait that long, hence the recent deployment of a system using ferric chloride to yank the phosphorus out of the NEWPCC’s liquid waste.

And is there anything else that can help us get to that regulated need for 1mg/l? This is where the that third recent piece of news comes in. One limitation of the interim phosphorus solution is that it creates more sludge than the current facility can handle. As the new contractors start on the design and implementation of the biosolids phase, it might be well within their means to ensure that the interim solution brings us to regulated limits by the 2030 deadline.

Now, that would truly be cause for celebration!

While no one knows for a fact exactly how much phosphorus will be saved using ferric chloride at the NEWPCC, initial signs are looking good, and I, along with colleagues at the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, and all the interested denizens of our city will be keeping a close eye on its effectiveness over the coming months and years. And, as before, and even as we celebrate, we will continue to ask about how and when we will reach that regulated limit as some of these plans unfold.

Manitobans know how important our rivers and lakes are to our provincial identity and wellbeing, and with Lake Winnipeg recently being awarded the honour of being one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, many more sets of eyes are on our flagship freshwater body.

While the recent wins at the NEWPCC are but pieces of the puzzle, it’s a great step forward in the ongoing work needed to be done to reduce phosphorus and protect fresh water in Manitoba, in Canada, and across the globe.

Dimple Roy is the director, Water Management, for the International Institute for Sustainable Development.