The smell and taste of the water in Weyburn has been less desirable this summer, which is thanks to the presence of algae in Nickle Lake, the source of Weyburn's water.
There is currently no swimming at Nickle Lake's beach due to high levels of toxic algae in the water. While this may raise some concerns for people about the safety of the drinking water, the Superintendent of Weyburn's Water Treatment Plant, Shabir Sakrani, said their processes ensure the utmost safety, and the taste is just an aesthetic quality.
"People are not liking it, right? But it's safe, one hundred percent."
However, there is hope for those who can't afford to purchase another source of drinking water at this time. Sakrani shared a method that can be done at home to improve the water taste.
"People can store it in a jug, if they want to drink water, the smell will be gone within a few hours if they put it in the fridge and it will be okay. But the water is safe."
The Water Treatment Plant puts the raw water through three processes, oxidation, chlorination, and UV filtration.
Carbon filtration, such as a Brita filter, can remove some of the residual chlorine and algae components some may notice in the water.
"There is no process at the Water Treatment Plant that can control the taste," Sakrani noted. "We can improve a little bit with some oxidizing agent and everything, and the City is working on it with the carbon filters. We are waiting for any grant or anything to secure funds. The design is already done, so as soon as the funds are available, we will implement that one and then it will improve the taste and odor of the water."
For further context, the former Engineering Director Jennifer Wilkinson shared during her last meeting of Weyburn City Council on August 12th that last August the City completed an upgrade to enhance water quality and reduce trihalomethanes (THMs) by introducing ammonia for chloramine formation. She said this system is functioning effectively, resulting in improved water quality. The process involves injecting an ammonium sulfate solution into the chlorinated water to produce ammonia.
The Water Security Agency (WSA) requires the collection of free chlorine data from the treated water storage reservoir at a pathway of chlorinated water to the distribution chamber. This step is crucial to ensure that bacteria and viruses are effectively eliminated and that the water remains safe for residents.
Currently, there is no instrumentation installed in the treated water storage reservoir to measure the parameters required to satisfy the WSA reporting requirements (free chlorine and flow). This instrumentation equipment was incorporated (as an Ammonia Modification) into the next water treatment plant process improvement project consisting of a Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) Feed System to improve the taste and odor of the treated water as well as to further reduce the THMs.
The 2024 budget allocation for this project is $1,700,000. Wilkinson said the City did use $52,000 from this budget to cover the overage on the stop logs at the Dam.
On May 6th, 2024, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the combined Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) Feed System and Ammonia Modification project at the Water Treatment Plant.
The lowest bid received for the combined PAC and Ammonia Modification project was unexpectedly high, exceeding the budget at $3,500,000. The City requested MPE Consulting to provide pricing for the Ammonia Modification separately, deferring the PAC Feed System upgrade until additional funding becomes available.
The low bidder, Westridge Construction Ltd. submitted a revised proposal for the Ammonia Modification at $1,384,082.00, excluding taxes. This cost is within the allocated $1,700,000 budget for 2024 and satisfies the regulatory requirements for operation. It was recommended that the Ammonia Modifications at the Water Treatment Plant be awarded to Westridge Construction Ltd. for $1,384,082.00, excluding taxes.
Wilkinson noted during the meeting that this would be delayed until 2025, if it is needed at all. She explained:
"By delaying PAC, I don't think it's a bad thing in the end, if we delay it a little bit longer, to see, so we can optimize the CO2 and ammonia. And if we have a little more time optimizing them, then maybe we don't need the PAC. We probably still will, but I think actually waiting another year gives us a little more data and a little more information so that we can sure that making the best decision."
Hear her full explanation on the matter in the audio below.