The South Red Deer Regional Wastewater System, a 90 km system that will transport wastewater from Central Alberta to Red Deer for treatment, officially opened late last week.

Stantec and the South Red Deer Regional Wastewater Commission (SRDRWC), held a ceremony at the Penhold Multiplex last Friday. The wastewater system will serve the communities of Olds, Bowden, Innisfail, Penhold, Mountain View County and Red Deer County.

The state of the art system will transport wastewater from these Central Alberta communities to the City of Red Deer Wastewater Treatment Plant, and will preserve the quality of the Red Deer River from the Dickson Dam to the City of Red Deer.

“Central Alberta is growing at a rapid pace, putting stress on the wastewater treatment systems. In places like Olds and Innisfail, their aging infrastructure was stressed, reducing the quality of wastewater that was discharged into natural water systems,” said John Van Doesburg, project manager, SRDRWC. “This facility will meet the needs of Central Alberta for the next 25 years, and will produce high quality wastewater, reducing the risk to the environment as the wastewater is reintroduced into the Red Deer River.”

The 90 km jointless wastewater line is one of the longest systems of its kind in Canada. The pipeline is made of high density polyethylene, a corrosion proof material designed to reduce the possibility of leakage. The system features four lift stations located in the town of Olds, Bowden, Innisfail and Penhold, which transmits wastewater from the Town’s existing infrastructure to the City of Red Deer. Each lift station features odour management systems and is equipped with backup generators to prevent residential flooding in the event of a power outage. Stantec designed web-based technology allows operators to access an easy to use interface for operating and monitoring the system.

“Stantec is proud to have played such a large part in the South Red Deer Regional Wastewater System,” said Russ Wlad, senior vice president of Stantec. “Our work began in 2007, and today we have the privilege of opening a system which will serve a large part of Central Alberta for decades.”

The South Red Deer Regional Wastewater System received the American Public Works Association – Alberta Chapter Project of the Year award for Environment, recognizing leadership and innovation in treatment, recycling and reclamation facilities.

– Fawcett