The City of Winnipeg is pushing ahead with a more than $3-billion overhaul of its largest wastewater treatment facility, warning that failure to complete the project could halt population and economic growth within the next decade.
The North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC), which treats about 70% of Winnipeg’s wastewater and all sludge from the city’s three treatment plants, is more than 90 years old and expected to reach capacity between 2030 and 2032.
“Right now, we can treat for our current population,” said Linda McCusker, project director of the Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Program. “But in the not so far future, we’re going to run out of capacity due to population growth and also new industries that are coming in.”
Construction on the first phase of the upgrade, a new headworks and power supply facility, began in 2021 and is expected to wrap up this summer. The work represents the largest capital project in Winnipeg’s history and is considered essential to maintaining the city’s growth and environmental compliance.
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In 2025 alone, an average of 175 workers were on site each weekday, using 5.2 million kilograms of steel and pouring 30,000 m³ of concrete as part of the headworks construction, according to city officials.
City officials say the project is both a capacity expansion and a race against time to replace aging infrastructure at risk of failure.
Every major component of the facility must be rebuilt or upgraded while the plant continues operating — a process officials say adds significant complexity.
“These projects are very complex and we need to keep the plant working while we construct the new one,” said Lana Obach, biosolids project manager. “This is like we’re performing multiple organ transplants on a body. We need to keep the person alive while we replace the kidneys, liver, lungs, heart.”
The overhaul is divided into three major projects.
The first, the power supply and headworks facilities, has a budget of $565 million and includes a new power substation and upgraded systems to screen and pump incoming wastewater.
The second phase, a more than $1 billion biosolids treatment facility, will handle the solid waste components of sewage, including organic material, fats and grease. Design work is underway, with construction expected to begin later this year.
The third and largest phase — the nutrient removal facilities — carries a projected cost of $1.5 billion and will treat the liquid portion of wastewater before it is discharged into the Red River. The project is currently in the procurement stage, with three companies shortlisted following the initial request-for-proposals process. Construction is expected to begin in 2028.
While the first two phases have secured funding from provincial and federal governments, no funding agreements are yet in place for the nutrient removal project.
City officials say completing the final phase is critical not only for environmental compliance but also for Winnipeg’s long-term economic outlook.
A recent economic analysis commissioned by the city found that running out of wastewater capacity in 2032 would “effectively halt all population and employment growth” in Winnipeg. Nearby municipalities would only be able to absorb growth for a limited time before reaching their own infrastructure limits.
“Winnipeg’s growth depends on this project,” said Hazel Borys, director of planning, property and development.
Without expanded capacity, new housing construction could stall, businesses could be prevented from expanding, and attracting new industries would become more difficult, the report found.
Conversely, completing the nutrient removal project would enable substantial growth. City economists project that between 2033 and 2050, Winnipeg’s economy could grow an additional 16.4%, generating $186 billion in GDP. The labour force could expand by 91,000 people, and the city’s population could surpass one million residents.
“Winnipeg’s growth plays a significant role in Manitoba’s economy, and ensuring we can continue to grow benefits the entire province,” Borys said.
Despite the lack of confirmed funding, city officials say planning and procurement work on the final phase cannot be delayed if Winnipeg is to avoid hitting its wastewater capacity ceiling within the next decade.
