North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC)

• The motors are 2 metres by 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres, 450 to 700 horsepower, operating at 4,160 volts, and weigh approximately 1.5 to 5 metric tonnes.
• The facility is staffed by a minimum of two employees 24 hours a day and is monitored at all times by the Distributed Control System (DCS). This system is an intricate network of specialized computers that operators use to control the treatment process. The DCS monitors thousands of sensors located throughout the plant and alerts operator to any problems.

Funding history
The City has spent approximately $110 million on improvements to the NEWPCC over the last 25 years, including:

• Improved primary and secondary treatment by adding two new primary clarifiers and an improved secondary process using pure oxygen.
• Improved odour control by adding an additional stack.
• Replaced drying beds located in West St. Paul with mechanical dewatering to reduce odour.
• Converted from a manual operation to a computerized control system.
• Replaced two of the six pumps.
• Expanded lab to improve monitoring.
• Added screening to remove debris from sewage before treatment begins.
• Constructed sludge processing facility including two new digesters.

Operational history

• In the late 60s, all three pump wells were flooded during construction. We believe that untreated sewage was diverted to the river.
• In the 1980s, with the approval of Manitoba Environment, the plant was shut down for two days to permit the connection of a new main which allowed expansion of treatment services to the north and northwest.