The City of Melville celebrated the early stages of construction of the 14-million dollar Wastewater Treatment System expansion project, which started in early June of this year.
The project will see the construction of new wastewater cells, a pump station and an aerated moving bed bioreactor.
Acting City Manager Chris Bruce says the facility will be environmentally friendly.
“Right now, our effluent quality doesn’t meet legislative guidelines – we have too high of ammonia in our discharge waters. The new treatment system – with a combination of adding mechanical systems such as aeration and the moving bed bioreactor – gets our effluent well within legislative guidelines, and it means our discharge into Crescent Creek is much better for the environment.” explained Bruce.
PME Inc. is the contractor for the project which is expected to be completed sometime next year.
The federal and provincial governments are providing a combined 7.9-million dollars through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – $4.3-million coming from Ottawa, and $3.6-million from the province – and Melville is covering the remaining cost of the project.
Once completed, the expansion will increase wastewater storage capacity, which the City says will “help better protect the environment, accommodate surrounding rural and small urban municipalities to safely dispose of their
effluent, and position the City of Melville for growth.” The expansion is also expected to support an additional 7-thousand residents in Melville.
“This area is definitely poised for growth,” stated Sask. Party MLA for Melville-Saltcoats Warren Kaeding. “You can see with industry and businesses that are coming to Melville and area. Investing [and] allowing a community to grow is certainly a key priority for us as a province.”
Melville Mayor Walter Streelasky was thrilled to see the federal and provincial government provide funding for the project.
“It is with great appreciation that the City of Melville acknowledges the receipt of federal provincial support to help fund our Wastewater Treatment System Expansion Project. This project will benefit our community and surrounding area by positioning our city for growth, as this completed infrastructure will help attract new businesses, new industries and new residents for years to come,”
