City services during the Canada Post work stoppage

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City services during the Canada Post work stoppage

Winnipeg's wastewater treatment plants

Winnipeg has three wastewater treatment plants. Each plant has different capacities and they service different areas of Winnipeg.

We have been using the Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Program (WSTP) to upgrade our plants. We are working with Veolia on the upgrades. Veolia provides us with advice and guidance, with an end goal of reducing costs. We expect the program to end in 2041.

North End Wastewater Treatment Plant

Also known as the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC)

NEWPCC is located at 2230 Main Street. It was built in 1937 and is the oldest of our three wastewater treatment plants. It treats about 195 million litres of wastewater each day. This is about 70 percent of Winnipeg's wastewater.

We are making significant upgrades to NEWPCC. These upgrades will:

  • Help us meet licence requirements
  • Increase the amount of wastewater we can treat
  • Improve our ability to process biosolids

NEWPCC is the only plant in Winnipeg that makes biosolids. We make biosolids from a byproduct of wastewater treatment called sludge. NEWPCC processes the sludge from all three of our wastewater treatment plants. We have a program for the beneficial reuse of biosolids as required by the Government of Manitoba.

The plant also treats hauled wastewater from homes and businesses that are not connected to our wastewater system. This helps keep untreated wastewater out of our lakes and rivers.

Historical NEWPCC Upgrades

In 1937, NEWPCC treated wastewater through primary sedimentation. Primary sedimentation is a treatment process that removes solids from wastewater using gravity. Since then, we have made several upgrades.

1964 - Upgraded to a conventional activated sludge plant

  • This upgrade allowed NEWPCC to use microorganisms (activated sludge) to treat wastewater

1985 - The plant changed to high purity (90-100 percent) oxygen activated sludge plant

  • This means that the plant began using high purity oxygen instead of air in the treatment process. High purity oxygen enhances treatment. It leads to more efficient removal of organic matter and faster treatment times

1990 - Added mechanical sludge dewatering (centrifuges) to dewater sludge

  • This was a new process that used centrifugal force. Centrifugal forces are like the sensation you feel when you round a curve in a car. Those forces separate the sludge into liquids and solids. This process is also known as dewatering

2006 - Added Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to the treatment process

  • This means that we added a third level of treatment - UV light. The UV light helps inactivate bacteria and viruses like E.coli and fecal coliform in the treated wastewater. Inactivating E.coli and fecal coliform reduces their risks to humans and animals. This upgrade was necessary to meet new government requirements

2007 - Added a new side-stream nitrogen and phosphorus removal process

  • This process improved our ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorous in the treated wastewater

South End Wastewater Treatment Plant

Also known as the South End Water Pollution Control Centre (SEWPCC)

SEWPCC is located at 100 Ed Spencer Drive. It treats about 58 million litres of wastewater each day. This is about 20 percent of the city's wastewater.

Since 2023, we have been meeting all licence requirements at SEWPCC. The major upgrade project is nearly complete. These upgrades allow the plant to:

  • Use biological nutrient removal
    • Biological nutrient removal uses bacteria to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. This upgrade keeps us compliant with our licensing requirements
  • Treat more wastewater during wet weather with new high-rate clarifiers
    • A high-rate clarifier is a treatment process that uses gravity to separate solid particles out of wastewater. The high-rate clarifiers:
      • Reduce cloudiness (or turbidity) of the wastewater
      • Improves quality of treated wastewater
      • Makes downstream processes more efficient
    • This video shows you how the new high-rate clarifiers work
    • This process is only used to handle high flows during significant rain or snowmelt events. We will use this process about 10 to 20 times a year

West End Wastewater Treatment Plant

Also known as the West End Water Pollution Control Centre (WEWPCC)

WEWPCC is located at 7740 Wilkes Avenue. It treats around 20 million litres of wastewater a day. This is about 10 percent of the city's wastewater. It is the smallest of our treatment plants.

In 2007, we made upgrades to WEWPCC. These upgrades added biological nutrient removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. These upgrades keep WEWPCC in compliance with our license requirements.

As the wastewater volumes at WEWPCC are smaller, we use the existing wetlands to inactivate bacteria and viruses from treated wastewater. We call them polishing ponds. The ponds use natural UV light from the sun to inactivate bacteria and viruses, saving money and electricity.

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