The expansion of Portage la Prairie’s Water Treatment Plant is moving forward as expected. In March 2023, the City of Portage committed to a 50/50 funding partnership with the Manitoba Water Services Board (MWSB) to split the project’s estimated $77 million cost along with an additional $3 million allocated to detailed design. Recent developments include an updated budget that increases the design allocation, allowing the city to move forward with selecting essential treatment components. As design has progressed and with consideration for inflationary costs, the current project estimate is just under $97 million.
City Councillor and Waterworks Committee chair Faron Nicholls highlights the expansion’s alignment with the city’s strategic vision. “This upgrade not only positions us for growth but ensures we can continue to deliver safe, high-quality water to residents and industries in Portage la Prairie,” Nicholls said. “We’re running near capacity with our current plant, so this expansion is a proactive step to improve redundancy, which will give us the flexibility to maintain and manage peak demands.”
The expansion project will also focus on advanced treatment technologies, expected to streamline operations and improve water quality. The design process is underway with Stantec Engineering, which has been contracted to finalize plans by end of spring 2025. The City aims to release tender documents by the summer of 2025, with construction expected to begin shortly after and anticipated to take two years. Nicholls says the goal is to place the plant on track for operation by 2027.
Karly Friesen, the City’s Director of Utility, explains the design budget has been increased to $3.5 million, reflecting a shared contribution between the City and Province.
“The increased budget will help us move forward with pre-selecting key treatment components, such as membrane systems and ballasted flocculation technology,” Friesen said. “These are critical to integrating modern and efficient water treatment processes into our design.”
Nicholls emphasizes the City’s commitment to keeping residents informed and engaged as the project progresses. "We’re going to ensure the community is consulted and kept up-to-date at every phase,” he said. “There will be opportunities for public input, especially as we approach funding-related decisions like the issuance of a debenture.” The Public hearing for General Borrowing and the first reading of the debt by-law will be presented to Council at the December 9th meeting.