Results of City of Portage drinking water assessment submitted

The results of the Treated Water Supply System Assessment were reviewed during this week’s city council meeting, and the detailed report is available to the public. Faron Nicholls, City Councillor and Director of Waterworks, explains that the assessment is conducted every five years in accordance with the Manitoba Drinking Water Safety Act. The assessment included a review of treated water quality as well as review of the integrity of the water treatment plant and distribution system. Recommendations for improvements in the operation system and physical infrastructure were also listed in the report, however, none of the items noted were found to compromise water quality. Nicholls says citizens can expect a high level of detail from the publicly available document and encourages those interested to review it. 

"The report is very detailed, very informative. It basically paints a picture of what we've done, how our plant is working and how our city is making sure that our drinking water is up to today's standards and meets our guidelines. It's all there for everyone to have a look at, it's a wonderful document." 

Karley Friesen, director of utility for the city of portage, explains none of the recommendations came as a surprise, as many were identified in earlier assessments. 

"They're either items that we're currently addressing in this year's budget,or planned as part of our future upgrade so that will allow us to capture a lot of those items. Others are identified as needing to be addressed but the way the system is running right now we can't deal with those until the new plant is built and commissioned so those will be addressed in budget in future years". 

The assessment was completed by Stantec Engineering as part of the detailed design for the Portage Water Treatment Plant Membrane expansion.