City shows off facility
Northern News Services
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city's new water treatment plant cost about five per cent more than expected to build, according to the director of public works and engineering.
Ashley Rivers, the city's pumphouse and lift station supervisor, shows the large pipes were raw water, on the left, goes up to filters on another floor and comes back down filtered in another pipe on the right. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Chris Greencorn wasn't able to provide a final cost but said it was roughly five per cent higher than the original $30 million budgeted by council. The contractor that built the facility is still carrying out several tasks before the facility is considered complete, reporters were told.
"The bulk of the plant has been operating since we lifted the boil water advisory, but it's just these minor things that have to be finished," Greencorn said.
"We're not going to accept it as complete and final until we're satisfied that the contractor has done everything to spec and to this point we haven't been satisfied."
At what point does the city expect the final work to be wrapped up?
"Yesterday," Greencorn said.
The contract to build the plant was awarded to Ontario-based NAC Contractors Ltd. in 2013. Some of the issues that have had to be addressed include fire-rated doors, the mill work on the main level and minor tasks like paint here and there in the Tin Can Hill facility. Greencorn said those costs are being borne by the contractor.
The water treatment plant came online earlier this year, ending a boil water advisory for the city, Dettah and Ndilo that lasted more than a month.
The city showed off the plant on Monday to reporters.
Much of the tour focused on the technical aspects of the facility such as how the chlorination process is much less dangerous to workers or the way the filters are cleaned by running water backwards through the system.
Water from the Yellowknife River flows through an eight-kilometre long pipeline under Great Slave Lake to the facility.
The facility has a capacity of 20 million litres per day, although the city is only using about 10 million litres.
The facility has two large pumps that kick in to boost output when firefighters are using water. The plant also has a power generator that can power those pumps.
