Increasing Demand Leads to New Reservoir at Water Plant

To supplement its current 3.5 million litre capacity, split between two smaller reservoirs and a water tower, the Town of Neepawa is in the midst of constructing a new reservoir with a capacity of 2.8 million litres adjacent to the Water Plant. The need for this expansion, says Water & Waste Water Treatment Supervisor Howard Buffi, comes down to the growing size of the town and surrounding area as well as needing capacity both for emergency situations and maintenance activities.

A combined total of 6.3 million litres sounds like a lot until Buffi puts it in perspective. In August, he says, the plant ran through an average 3.3 million litres of water every day, with weekdays running closer to 4 million. HyLife, a local pork processing plant and one of the main employers in Neepawa, uses close to 50% of that water, and they too are in the process of expanding.

Current usage leaves no cushion for breakdowns, maintenance, or emergencies such as the Home Hardware fire of 2015, which Buffi says taxed the system to its limit. Without the increased reservoir capacity, it’s next to impossible right now to run an annual swab of the lines because it requires a 17-hour shutdown of the plant.

Buffi also outlines the process by which the water comes into the town system and how it is treated to be safe and drinkable for residents. Many people do not realise the many steps it takes not just to prepare water at the plant but also to transport it safely to homes and businesses as much as 20 miles outside of the town limits. While the town used to draw some of its water from a nearby lake, that was discontinued several years ago and water now comes exclusively from our two well sites to the water treatment plant.

Construction on the new reservoir is expected to be completed by spring.