Albertans in the towns of St. Paul and Vermilion last week celebrated the opening of a new wastewater treatment plant and the completion of a fully modernized one.
Following three years of construction in Vermilion, local officials unveiled the $20-million membrane bioreactor plant that will replace the conventional activated sludge treatment facility that was built in 1976 and unable to meet modern standards and capacity requirements.
Preliminary design for the new plant began in 2015 and is expected to meet area capacity until about 2037.
“Vermilion’s new wastewater plant was built on time and on budget,” announced Garth Rowswell, MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright, in a statement. “As part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, this investment has created well-paying jobs and got Albertans back to work in our region. This critical facility will serve the community for generations to come,” he added about the plant, which was funded by all three levels of government.
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In St. Paul, located in east-central Alberta, residents saw the unveiling of a $16.2-million modernization of the town’s current wastewater treatment plant, which took two years to complete.
MPE Engineering Ltd. was applauded by local officials for working through the challenge of upgrading and modernizing a treatment plant that needed to keep running throughout the construction phase. The team built new headworks, blowers, screening, grit removal, disk filters, sludge management, UV disinfection and an upgraded laboratory.
“Alberta’s government made it possible for us to meet and exceed environmental standards and to leave a legacy our community can be proud of,” announced St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller in a statement.
