ON THIS PAGE
The following projects are in the planning or construction phases at the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We used your feedback to refine the site-specific vegetation plans and preferred species lists included in the Vegetation Plan.
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.
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.
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 Committeeopens in a new tab.
Subscribe to receive important updates about the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.