Launch of plant upgrade project the major highlight for

mer flows.

Buffalo Pound Corp. in 2022

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Operations are slowly transitioning to the new plant components and machines, which gives employees time to learn the system, he continued. This ensures if something is poorly functioning, staff can revert to the old system. This is the benefit of a renovation versus a brandnew build.

When asked whether the new WTP would fix the interesting “flavour and aromas” in the water, Johnson said the new plant would provide year-round taste and aroma control instead of the current seven months. It’s usually every 10 years when Buffalo Pound Lake has water issues.

“So … after this fall, we should have control where taste will no longer be an issue,” he stated.

Johnson added that the new plant would have a 25-year lifespan; the corporation was unlikely to ask for more money because of contingency funding; and the upgraded venue would recycle 10 per cent of its wastewater — about three million litres a day — compared to the typical five per cent. Report highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect the WTP’s operations last year because all staff were fully vaccinated, while most pandemic effects were economic- and supply chain-related, the report said.

The corporation reported zero lost time incidents last year, zero near misses and two incidents of property damage. Managers followed the SMS Incident Investigation Procedure to handle collisions and implement corrective action.

The plant continued to provide safe drinking water to more than 270,000 area residents and met most regulatory requirements and criteria as it produced safe potable liquid, the document continued.

The issues the plant did face were minimal and mainly due to loss of power, discharging of more total suspended solids into the environment than is acceptable under its operating permit, changes in raw water conditions — major algae blooms and weed decay that caused smell and test issues — and equipment failure.

While the venue made short-term adjustments to improve operations, the completion of the plant renewal project will satisfactorily address these deficiencies, said the report.

The plant currently produces 205 megalitres (205 million litres) per day, but after the project is finished, that will increase to 250 megalitres per day.

Financially, water sales generated $13.12 million in operating revenue while operating expenses were $13.04 million, resulting in a surplus of roughly $80,000, the report said. Its operating reserve finished at $2.39 million.

Total water sales to Regina, Moose Jaw and SaskWater totalled 33,961.62 megalitres (ML), with the Queen City consuming 28,634.23 ML, The Friendly City drinking 5,129.60 ML, and the Crown corporation using 197.79 ML, the document showed.

The corporation’s total revenue for 2022 was $53,865,028 and its total expenses were $19,387,505, leaving a surplus of $34,477,523, the annual report added. This surplus was added to the accumulated surplus, which finished at $132,576,810.

Large price jump forces city to push feeder main project into 2024

City hall is pushing most construction work on its 16th Avenue feeder main replacement project into 2024 because costs — including labour and materials — are nearly 50-per-cent more than budgeted.

The engineering department had planned to complete the project in two phases — this year and next — by upgrading related storm sewer and sanitary infrastructure and addressing some roads and sidewalks. It had estimated that the total budget for phase 1 would be $4,765,500, although an engineer’s estimate pegged the cost at $5,149,134.05.

After issuing requests for quotes, the department received bids from two contractors, with one offering to complete phase 1 for $9,618,389.65 and the second for $6,901,073.69. The city — on the recommendation of its consultant — selected the second bid.

After removing the consulting fees from the original budget estimate and removing the GST from the bid, the difference between the two is $2,122,214.51, or 47.5 per cent beyond the available construction budget.

Due to that increase, the engineering department notified its consultant and the bidders that it would not award the tender for phase 1. Instead, the city encouraged the consultant to finish the design for phase 2 by July so the municipality owned both designs and could determine the next steps to complete the project.

The engineering department is now considering its options for possibly phasing in some work this year on the 16th Avenue feeder main and the Coteau Street/South Hill (CS/SH) feeder main while also reviewing the 2024 cast iron replacement program, said director Bevan Harlton during the May 23 executive committee meeting.

The department is currently designing in-house the CS/SH project, which will focus on moving from west to east from 12th Avenue Southwest to Eighth Avenue Southwest, he continued. There are several blocks of cast iron pipe along that stretch, so the department could combine those two projects for more efficiency.

After engineering services finishes the designs for both projects, it will better understand their costs while knowing which initiative to prioritize, Harlton said.

The money established for this year’s main project will likely be carried forward into next year, although the department could use that funding to complete some other work this year.

The main reason the bid cost for phase 1 is so high is that labour costs have risen, while concrete and asphalt prices have also jumped substantially, he added. In comparison, prices were more reasonable for the cast iron replacement program because the tender closed seven