Majority of sewage treatment plant concrete work complete

Nearly all of the concrete pouring for the new wastewater treatment plant is done, the City of Thompson said in a June 13 press release, with only a few hundred cubic metres left from a total of 2,500 cubic yards that make up the plant’s lower levels

Nearly all of the concrete pouring for the new wastewater treatment plant is done, the City of Thompson said in a June 13 press release, with only a few hundred cubic metres left from a total of 2,500 cubic yards that make up the plant’s lower levels, which will house processing equipment.

Completing the concrete in places where pre-cast slabs could not be installed was time-consuming, the city said, because it could take as long as two weeks to install supports to pour concrete over the top of the structure.

“It’s exciting to see the new plant take form,” said Mayor Dennis Fenske in the press release. “Even before the ground-level facility has gone up, it’s become clear what a substantial upgrade the new plant will be from our old waste water treatment plant.”

Concrete pouring for the foundation walls, originally estimated to be done by mid-April, was about a month behind schedule in late February, when Sibal Basu of design engineer Stantec, which also provides contract administration services, told council it night not be completed until mid-May.

Unlike many sewage treatment plants elsewhere, this one will have closed tanks, which will save construction costs because the building housing offices and operational machinery can be built on top of the tank instead of another foundation being constructed beside the tanks.

“It’s great to see that that the project is moving along well within schedule,” said deputy mayor and public works committee chair Colleen Smook. “This state-of-the-art facility is going to be a great asset for Thompson for years to come.”

Following completion of the concrete work, workers will begin installing equipment such as sequence batch reactor tanks, while the grit concentrator, which removes abrasive solids like sand and asphalt as well as food and other organic particulates, is already in place. Removing grit allows more water to be pushed into the system while reducing maintenance costs related to clogs and abrasion.

A new lift station on Cree Road, which will push wastewater into the sewage treatment plant and allow the city to decommission its existing lagoon south of the city, is in place already and crews will begin pushing a new force main soon.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing the finished facility begin its first day of operation next year,” said development review committee chair Coun. Penny Byer. “But I’m even more excited to walk down the Millennium Trail and smell flowers, instead of wastewater!”

Construction of steel framing was scheduled to be complete this month with the rest of the building superstructure scheduled to be done by October, Stantec told council in February. Mechanical works are scheduled to be complete in November to allow commissioning of the new plant to begin next January.