Gold Bar projects

Learn about the new construction happening at Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.

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New development projects
South Edmonton Sanitary Sewer (SESS) Line
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New development projects

The following projects are in the planning or construction phases at the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Enhanced Primary Treatment (EPT) Scrubber

We have redesigned the current EPT Scrubber and added additional scrubbers for better capacity and performance.

As part of EPCOR’s ongoing commitment to odour reduction, we have redesigned the current EPT scrubber system and added two additional scrubbers to address odours emitted from the Enhanced Primary Treatment building. Scrubbers reduce odours by treating the air collected from the EPT Building using a chemical solution to remove odour causing compounds. The additional scrubbers will improve the system’s performance by adding redundancy, providing more stable operations and reliability, and increasing the ease of maintenance of these facilities. A new building will be constructed to house the additional scrubbers. The building is in the final stages of commissioning.

Vegetation Plan

In the spring of 2020, we hired a third-party contractor to complete a Vegetation Plan for the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. The creation of this plan included a site review of the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant's vegetative cover with the goal of identifying ways to enhance the appearance of the facility from both surrounding communities and within the site. The contractor reviewed the site on two separate occasions both when the plant material was in a dormant state (without leaves) and again in early summer once the plant material was in full leaf.

From outside the facility, the perimeter of the site was viewed by traveling along the Gold Bar Park entry road that parallels the south property of the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. The vantage points were also identified by walking the trail system that runs along the north, south and east properties of the plant and by walking the boat launch access road running along the western edge of the site.

The tasks associated with this project included assessing how vegetation could be utilized to enhance the visual aesthetics of the plant and how it could be incorporated into new developments on site. As part of this assessment, our contractors met with facility operators to understand the limitations around vegetation, future expansions within the existing fenceline and the extent of vegetation desired. During these meetings odour mitigation was also discussed and became part of the criteria used when selecting plant material.

Our contractor then prepared recommendations for the planting areas identified on the site plan below to serve as guidelines for future planning strategies. The recommendations for each area identified in the report will occur between now and 2060. It is understood that a detailed design will be prepared for each area as they are ready to be developed or enhanced. The timing associated with the recommendations will depend on planned maintenance activities and proposed projects near these areas within the fenceline of the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. The community will receive additional information about planting and revegetation plans as part of project specific public engagement initiatives in the future. For revegetation areas located outside of our fenceline, we'll need to coordinate planning activities with the City of Edmonton.

Site plan

The following site plan highlights the recommended areas (inside and outside the fenceline at the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant) included in the Vegetation Plan.

The colour boxes on the site plan depict the planting areas included in the Vegetation Plan.

Project drivers

Each of our projects align with the Shared Outcome Statements and Design Principles that were established with input from special interest groups, recreational users, community members and residents near the treatment plant. These icons show the Shared Outcomes and Design Principles for this project.

Public engagement level refine

We used your feedback to refine the site-specific vegetation plans and preferred species lists included in the Vegetation Plan.

Square 1 Biogas System

We are upgrading the Square 1 Biogas system, which includes safety systems and equipment to convey biogas for reuse in our boilers for heating.

We will be upgrading the Square #1 gas system, which was built in 1985 and includes safety systems and equipment to convey biogas for reuse in our boilers for heating. To complete these activities, we will require minimal excavation and hydrovacing before installing sheds near the digesters to house the new equipment associated with the upgrades. We are expecting compressors for this project to arrive in early 2024. The equipment is large and transportation will be brief, but noticeable, along 50 Street.

Digester 4 upgrades

We are rehabilitating and upgrading digester #4, used to treat the solids from the primary treatment process.

We are rehabilitating and upgrading digester #4. This digester is one of the original structures at the plant, and is used to treat and stabilize the solids from the primary treatment process. There is a crane onsite for Digester #4 rehabilitation and upgrades. The crane will be on-site until late 2024.

South Edmonton Sanitary Sewer (SESS) Line

The SESS is a system of deep sewer lines (called trunk lines) being built over several decades to provide new infrastructure that will store and carry wastewater from south Edmonton.

Gold Bar already treats wastewater from south Edmonton today which comes to us in existing sewer lines; the same wastewater that would be carried by the SESS system. If the SESS system connects to Gold Bar in 2038 there will be no change in sewage volumes coming to the facility; the same wastewater will simply arrive through a newer set of pipes.

The Sanitary Servicing Strategy Fund (SSSF) Oversight Committee is a committee that is responsible for deciding how sewage volumes are handled in the Edmonton Region. The SSSF Oversight Committee is chaired by the City of Edmonton.

Learn more about the SSSF Oversight Committee.

Based on EPCOR's forecasts of future sewage volumes for Edmonton, we expect wastewater flows to increase very slowly over the next four decades as Edmontonians are using less water per person. The continuing decline in individual water use will offset most of the population increase in the region, with peak sewage flow increasing less than one percent per year between now and 2060. We don't expect this trend to change following completion of the SESS trunk line if it connects to the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant facility in 2038. Currently Gold Bar WWTP already treats wastewater from south Edmonton today – the same wastewater that will be carried by the SESS system.

Whether the SESS line is directed to the Gold Bar WWTP in the future or another location, there is sufficient capacity at the Gold Bar WWTP to treat future liquids and solids from now to at least 2060, without the need for physical expansion outside the plant's fenceline. EPCOR's latest long term plan for Gold Bar commits in writing to preserving river valley parkland and trails by keeping Gold Bar's operations within the current fenceline. In fact we are able to treat all flows coming to the plant through 2061 without any impact to surrounding parkland, trail system and neighbouring communities. There is no current or future risk with future flows to public health and odour data has demonstrated a continued decline. Ongoing investment in the plant will continue to reduce odour and reduce the flaring of biogas.

Throughout the past six decades, the Gold Bar WWTP has been significantly updated and improved in order to provide service to the growing Edmonton population. At the same time, we've lowered the plant's impact on the environment and the community through new technology. We are committed to this and will minimize the operational impact of Gold Bar WWTP, no matter what the flows received for treatment are.

A decision on the ultimate destination of the SESS flows will not be required until 2028 at the earliest.

Since publically presenting our long-term plan to Utility Committee in fall 2019, there have been no activities on site or changes to our plans that would affect the final destination of the South Edmonton Sanitary Sewer (SESS) trunk line. The final segment of the SESS system is not expected to enter the planning phase until at least 2030 and would not connect to a wastewater treatment facility until sometime after 2038.

Construction of the SESS system, should it be directed to the Gold Bar WWTP, would have a minimal impact on the community. Sanitary sewer trunk lines, such as the SESS, are built deep underground through tunneling, with limited impact to communities on the surface. There would be an excavation point at the start of the segment and at the end of the segment, a laydown area for equipment, and potentially an interim shaft along the way. No construction on the final portion of the system is expected until after 2030. At that time, there would be specific community consultation prior to construction to ensure we identify and reduce potential impacts.

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