Moncton lays groundwork to deal with cyanobacteria in water supply

Moncton plans to spend $6 million this winter toupgradeits water treatment plant, the first phase of a plan todeal withcyanobacteriain the municipal water supply.

Cyanobacteriawas found in 2017 in theTurtle Creek watershed, the drinking watersource for Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview.Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, canform blooms and produce toxins harmful to humans and animals.

The water remains safe to drink and the multimillion dollar upgrades are meant to keep it that way.

Jack MacDonald, the city's general manager of engineering and environmental services, said the water treatment plant lacks the ability to remove cyanobacteria material and toxins.

"We've been lucky this year with respect to an algae bloom," MacDonald told Moncton council on Tuesday."We haven't had one so far. Keep our fingers crossed that we don't between now and the end of the year."

The water treatment plant southwest of Riverview is owned byMoncton and privately operated byVeolia Canada Ltd. Council approved a five-year extension of its contract withVeolia earlier this year.

On Tuesday, Moncton council unanimously approved a sole-source contract with CBCL Limitedworth$820,736. The Halifax-based engineering and environmental consulting firm will design the first phase of work at the plant and provide construction project management.

A separate council vote will take place in the future for a construction contract, MacDonald said.

On Friday, the federal and provincial governments announcedfundingfor the first phase. The federal government will pay $2.4 million, the province$1.9 million and the city$1.6 million.

The work this winter will involve replacing four water clarifiers used to removeparticles. They will be replaced with adissolved air flotation system.MacDonald saidbubbles in the water will bring the algae material to the surface where it will be skimmed off.

One clarifier will be replaced at a time, cutting the plant's treatment capacity by a quarter.The work will be done over the winter when water use is lowest.

A second phase, with an estimated cost of $21 million, will add the ability to remove the toxins from the water. MacDonald said the second phase is expected to be completed over the winter in 2021-22 and planning is already underway. The contract council approved Tuesday only covers the first phase of design work.

Other options more expensive

MacDonald said the next cheapest option had an estimated cost of $42 million.

A blue-green algae bloom was found in theTower Road Reservoir in September 2017.

The reservoir, completed in 2014 and serving as aback-up water supply, flows into thelower Turtle Creek Reservoir and onto the treatment plant.

Algae was found in bothreservoirs in 2018, though no blooms were found.Heather Fraser, Moncton's natural resource program co-ordinator, last month told CBC there weren't any issues at the reservoirs this summer.

Monctonawarded the contract toCBCL without a competitive biddingprocess.

The value of the design work contract is such that underthe Canadian-European Trade Agreementand Canadian Free Trade Agreement, it should have been subject to acompetitive process. A city staff report says that was avoided by using exemptions for human health and intellectual property.

MacDonald said a competitive process would have delayed the work by two or three months. He expressedconfidenceinCBCL's technical expertise.

"We went this route because we are fast tracking this plant modification," MacDonald said.