Joint report recommends retrofit to Winnipeg’s north end sewage treatment plant
On World Water Day, the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) are releasing a report recommending an interim retrofit to Winnipeg’s largest sewage treatment plant.
Research at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area shows that phosphorus drives the growth of algal blooms in freshwater lakes. Winnipeg’s North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC) is currently the single largest point source of phosphorus flowing into Lake Winnipeg.
The retrofit being proposed by LWF and IISD uses a chemical called ferric chloride, a type of iron salt, as a phosphorus-removal agent. It could be implemented quickly and at low cost to significantly reduce the facility’s phosphorus contribution to Lake Winnipeg.