Detailed Wastewater System Assessment and Identification of Alternatives to Meet Guidelines and Future Community Environmental and Health and Safety Needs

completed

This project will include the detailed assessment of the communal wastewater collection system at Grassy Narrows First Nation. The current system consists of a network of gravity sewers, five (5) sewage pumping stations, and the connecting forcemain which feeds a Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) treatment plant which discharges to a dual cell sewage lagoon, as well as. This system network currently services approximately 80% of the community with the remaining population being reliant on individual septic systems. The wastewater plant was designed over 25 years ago to treat wastewater flows up to the year 2011 and is therefore beyond its intended lifecycle and has exceeded its volume and treatment capacity. The lack of capacity to not only meet current, let alone future community needs, is presenting a considerable risk to the health and safety of residents and the environment. It is therefore required that a detailed assessment be completed to identify all existing deficiencies as well as provide upgrade alternatives and future recommendations that will be essential to providing adequate wastewater services to the community. This assessment will also identify possible solutions to removing any immediate and significant health and safety and environmental risks associated with the system being at capacity and consequent negative impacts on the receiving environment. This will ultimately benefit the receiving environment off reserve.