The upgrades to the Weyburn Water Treatment Plant are almost complete.

Nader Keshta is the Director of Engineering with the City of Weyburn. He explained the work isn’t just a new reservoir.

“Upgrading the storage capacity for the city by 13 million litres, new distribution room, five new pumps, UV system, automation for all the chemical processes in the facility,” Keshta said as he described the work which has gone in to the facility under the watch of the superintendent of the Water Treatment Plant, Shabbir Sakrani.

There are five new pumps at the plant, which will handle distribution for the city. The five new pumps in the facility will replace the four existing pumps and are intended to meet the peak demand which is seen in not only the summer but the winter as well. The UV system will deactivate pathogens and viruses which are in the water.

The additional capacity will allow the city to grow for a number of years, and ensure the water capacity needs are met, Keshta explained. It will also provide some security in certain situations.

In a situation like last year when the reservoir drained in a water main break, we will have a lot more time to react in that type of situation,” Keshta said.

The work on Plant 200 has also been ongoing alongside the work with the reservoir construction.

Upgrades include a new polymer feed system, as seen here, as well as automatic alum and fluoride feed systems.The work includes automation, filtration, flow rate meters, automated chemical dosage, and more.

The total costs of the project to date is roughly $13.6 million and was funded under the National and Regional Projects Fund. The work on Plant 200 cost roughly $1 million, and was partially funded by the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.

The projects will be commissioned over the coming weeks, including bringing the reservoir and new distribution system online. Once everything is up and running, work will then start on upgrades to the 1st Avenue Reservoir in the city. The Price Tag for those upgrades is roughly $1 million.

There will be more work undertaken at the Water Treatment Plant once the snow has melted. Further upgrades which will be done in 2019 include pavement, landscaping work, painting, the installation of a security fence, and the installation of an additional security system.