For all municipalities, the water infrastructure is one of the most important ones to maintain. Most people think of the system in terms of the water that comes out of the tap: it gets treated from the raw source, is used, then flushed away or goes down the drain into the sewage system. The process after it enters the sewage system is something most people don’t always think of. However, it is definitely something that the City of Weyburn takes into consideration regularly.

The wastewater from the sewage system ends up in the lagoons outside the city. The water, and the solid wastes as well, go through a treatment process before being released back into the Souris River. The process ensures that the water that comes out is as clean, if not cleaner, as the water that comes into the system. The process for treating the water can at times be expensive, and difficult. There is the process of dealing with solid wastes, which includes fats, oils and grease. There is also a matter of odour, something residents of Weyburn can notice when the wind blows in the right direction.

Over the years a number of processes have been tried to help with the elimination of solid waste, as well as the elimination of the odour. The lagoon itself is used for the waste to naturally break down. Mechanical dredging helps as well. However, the City of Weyburn was looking for a new way to help with the process.

The staff came across a process using bioaugmentation technology, developed by EnBiorganic Technologies. This would help with the treatment of the wastewater while reducing the need for dredging, the disposal of those solid wastes, the sludge in the lagoons, and the associated odours.

The process involves the introduction of specific micro-organisms into the lift stations at the lagoons to break down the solid waste. They are also specifically developed for the ecosystem in the lagoons.

“These microbes are trained to consume site-specific sewage, including fat, oil and grease, in a controlled chamber using the pasteurized sewage right from the site,” explained municipal engineer Renee Cugnet.

The process was introduced on a trial basis in August of last year. In a short period of time, the staff at the wastewater treatment facilities noticed a number of improvements to the process. This included a breakdown of the piles of sludge that were developing in the water.

There are also some financial considerations that are becoming apparent.

“It’ll eventually reduce the need to do mechanical dredging which is going to be a huge cost savings,” Cugnet added. “We’ll still have to do some mechanical dredging for the non-organics.” The non-organics would then be dredged and disposed of elsewhere.

As the microbes break down the materials, including the fats, oil and grease at the lagoon, the residents of Weyburn should also notice another benefit, especially after the spring thaw.

“As a bonus, we are also hoping that it will reduce the odours that will be coming off the lagoons,” Cugnet pointed out. “It’s already proving to reduce the odours in the lift stations.”

The performance trial of the bioaugmentation process is continuing at the lagoons. The process is being provided by Vital Utilities and EnBiorganic on a treatment-as-a-service contract. Vital Utilities is performing the service and maintenance on the contract, with EnBiorganic handling the remote monitoring and control until the performance trial is completed.