WCW24

Berens River First Nation (BRFN), located on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, faces significant challenges in providing adequate water and wastewater services to its growing population. Currently, only a portion of the community has access to piped water and wastewater services, while the rest rely on trucked services. Moreover, the old water treatment plant, constructed in 1998, was struggling to meet the demands of the community, leading to concerns over water quality and system capacity. This presentation will outline the project, beginning with the findings of a comprehensive feasibility study conducted in 2020, which assessed the current state of BRFN's water and wastewater infrastructure and projected future needs based on population growth estimates. The study revealed critical deficiencies in the existing water treatment system, including inadequate treatment capacity, deteriorating infrastructure, and challenges in maintaining water quality standards. Key areas of concern identified include the limited capacity of the treatment plant to meet peak demand, resulting in reduced treatment rates and compromised water quality. Additionally, the raw water quality poses challenges, with elevated levels of colour, turbidity, total coliforms, and iron, requiring improved treatment processes. The presentation will then discuss proposed solutions to address these challenges, including upgrades to the water treatment plant, expansion of distribution networks, and improvements in raw water intake and storage facilities. Furthermore, challenges related to meeting regulatory requirements for treated water will be discussed. Throughout the pre-design work, water quality parameters varied substantially which posed a challenge in determining the optimal water treatment system for the community. Several options were considered, including Ion Exchange, Dissolved Air Flotation, Granular Activated Carbon filters, and Two Stage Membrane systems. The selected treatment system changed from Ion Exchange followed by Membrane Filtration to a Two Stage Membrane system during the pre-design phase after more extensive water sampling was completed. Other challenges to the project included maintaining operation of the existing distribution and treatment system, working in a remote community, and working in cold weather. Through this case study, attendees will gain insights into the complexities of managing water infrastructure in remote Indigenous communities and the importance of sustainable solutions to ensure access to safe and reliable water resources for future generations.