Water flows from $300M plant

The water coming out of the taps in Winnipeg should smell and taste a lot better.

That's the promise from the city's water system officials as water startedflowing Wednesdaythrough the city's new, $300 million water treatment plant.

Thefacility,just east of the city at the Deacon Reservoir in the aptly namedRural Municipality of Springfield, is one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken by the city's Water and Waste Department in decades.

In the past, algae growth has fostered complaints about the bad taste and smell of drinking water in Winnipeg.

Tom Pearson, the project's director, says they may have to shut the plant down for brief periods over the next few weeks to fine-tune some of the processes.

But he says the quality of drinking water will remain high during those periods.

The plant will officially open in early 2010.

Work began on the project in early 2005.