Winnipeg sewage plant getting $550M upgrade to convert human waste into fertilizer

A massive upgrade that will see more than $550 million invested into Winnipeg’s North End Sewage Treatment Plant is critical to the city’s growth and protecting Manitoba’s environment. Morgan Modjeski reports.

Winnipeg’s oldest and largest sewage facility is expected to get a massive upgrade – with the goal of turning human waste into fertilizer.

A $550 million investment was announced Tuesday for the second stage of upgrades to the North End Sewage Treatment Plant.

The funds will go towards the construction of new infrastructure and upgrades to the Biosolids Facilities.

The goal is to treat sludge produced from the treatment of wastewater and convert that into biosolids – a product rich in nutrients that can be used as fertilizer or soil.

The city, province and federal government are planning to split the costs.

Canada is investing $200 million; the City of Winnipeg has pledged $184 million; and the Manitoba government is providing $167 million.

“This project has been the City of Winnipeg’s top infrastructure priority for several years,” said Brian Mayes, chairperson of the standing policy committee on water and waste, riverbank management and the environment.”

The North End Sewage Treatment processes 70 per cent of Winnipeg’s wastewater.

Terry Duguid, MP for Winnipeg South, was encouraged by the collaborative effort. Duguid says the amount committed in the project over the last two years has surpassed what’s been dedicated to the project in the last 28 years.

“Over half a billion dollars – half a billion dollars – a staggering amount of money,” he said. “These kinds of investments are only possible when governments work together, when governments invest together.

“This has been a long time coming.”

Cleaning the Red River, Lake Winnipeg

The upgrades are expected to make environmental gains in pollution control, help clean up the Red River and improve the health of Lake Winnipeg.

“The modernization of the North End Wastewater treatment plant will protect our waterways and ecosystems to create a cleaner and more resilient Winnipeg,” said Dan Vandal, the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.

Alexis Kanu, with the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, says she’s encouraged by the attention to phosphorus level in this second phase.

“What Lake Winnipeg needs is phosphorus compliance,” said Kanu. “Phosphorus is the nutrient that drives algae blooms on Lake Winnipeg, so building phosphorus compliance into Phase 2 is an incredible step forward for Lake Winnipeg and we heard commitments to those enhanced environmental protections from all three levels of government today.”

Mayor Brian Bowman, who has a personal connection to Lake Winnipeg, says the environmental aspect is key.

“I’ve seen in my lifetime the deterioration in the health of our lake and if you speak with (Manitoba Metis Foundation) President (David) Chartrand, you speak with elders and knowledge keepers throughout the lake, they would have seen even more devastation to the health of the lake and these investments are absolutely crucial to turning that around,” said Bowman.

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