After a decade of planning, the Sunshine Coast's new, $7 million water treatment plant on Chapman Creek officially opened June 4. About 50 guests gathered at the plant to celebrate with speeches, sandwiches and toasts made with glasses of crystal-clear water.
The water treatment plant has been operating since February, but the ultraviolet disinfection equipment was still in boxes waiting to be installed on opening day. Water seeped from cracks in the plant's huge concrete tanks, evidence that some repair work still remained for the contractor to complete. But the mood was upbeat as Sunshine Coast Regional District workers and politicians showed off a success story: a major improvement to the regional water supply completed on budget, if not quite on schedule.
The federal and provincial governments each contributed $1.9 million to the cost, and water users on the Sunshine Coast are paying the other $3.2 million.
Tim Adams, environmental health officer for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, described the benefits of the new plant.
"The improvements to the water quality are many, and most people notice the physical characteristics," he said. "For example, our ice cubes are clear, not brown. We can see to the bottom of the tub when we run a bath And most importantly for some people, the Scotch tastes better."
However, Adams added, the project provides major public health benefits which are not so obvious.
"With the multiple barrier design of the treatment system, the risk of waterborne disease has been virtually eliminated, for example, preventing an E. Coli outbreak such as in Walkerton in 2000, or giardia or beaver fever such as in Penticton in 1986, or cryptosporidium such as occurred in North Battleford in 2001 and in Kelowna and Penticton in 1996."
Adams said the new plant reduces the risk of cancer from disinfection by-products such as trihalomethanes by filtering out the organic compounds that react with chlorine and by reducing the level of chlorine by as much as 50 per cent. As well, because the treated water is less acidic and corrosive, there is less concern about leaching of lead or other heavy metals from solder in the pipes.
Chapman Creek is the major source of drinking water on the Coast, supplying 22,000 people. In the past, the water received only coarse filtration and chlorine treatment. That meant tap water had a brown colour, especially during the rainy season, from organic compounds leached into the water from leaves and similar debris.
In the new plant, raw water from the creek is treated with aluminum sulphate to make those organics clump together into larger particles called floc. Then, in another tank, tiny air bubbles are used to float the floc to the surface, where it forms a yellowish-brown layer of scum. The scum is skimmed off with a huge rotating brush while the clear water is siphoned from the bottom of the tank. From there the water flows through filters packed with a layer of coal over sand, then through the ultraviolet disinfection system. Chlorine will still be used as well as the ultraviolet light to prevent re-contamination with bacteria as the water flow through miles of pipes, but at a much lower level than before. Soda ash is used to balance the pH, making the water less acidic.
