New equipment will be installed next month at a West ѻý water treatment plant to prevent a recurrence of last summerѻý odour and discolouration problems.
A system that injects potassium permanganate into the Rose Valley plantѻý intake value should be operational in June, city officials say.
Itѻý designed to oxidize manganese that may be present in the water, ensuring it can be subsequently removed by the plantѻý main treatment processes.
The add-on system is described as the highest immediate priority among $2.5 million worth of improvements authorized by West ѻý city council last fall for the Rose Valley water treatment plant.
Constructed at a cost of $75 million, the plant was beset by problems last year associated with high levels of manganese, a naturally-occurring mineral found in many substances. For a time, the water had a foul smell and unusual colour, and the city advised that pregnant women and young children not drink the water until the manganese levels subsided.
Plant improvements also include upgrades to the aeration system in the reservoir. “Aeration improvements will help reduce algae and dissolved manganese levels in the reservoir,” states a report going Tuesday to West ѻý city council.
“These improvements will also improve taste and odours in the drinking water,” the report states. “These improvements are planned to be designed in 2025 and installed in spring 2026.”
Although there was some concern manganese levels would spike this spring with the snowmelt, that has not occurred, the report states. Historically, the levels have risen in the summer months and if the system that injects potassium permanganate into the intake pipe is not operational as planned by June, extra chlorine will be added to the water.
That was the approach taken last year to reduce manganese levels.