Elected officials, engineers, contractors, utility staff and members of the public gathered in the Assiniboine Valley on Oct. 25 for the Grand Opening of the new Town of Virden water source and well site.
Utility Manager Ron Routledge acted as emcee for the occasion, which marked an end to the community’s battle with taste, odour and arsenic in its drinking water.
“These are exciting times for the Town of Virden,” he said. “As many of you know, Virden has been widely recognized for having poor quality water, even being recognized internationally as a community that could turn your hair red. The current source proved to be a challenge in regulatory compliance as well as being aesthetically pleasing.”
Following the adoption of a new treatment process in 2009, the Town was initially compliant with provincial regulations, however subsequent revisions left it unable to meet the standards for arsenic. In December of 2019, Manitoba Health issued a drinking water advisory, which was rescinded last month.
In his remarks, Routledge expressed appreciation to Dave Shwaluk, now retired from the Manitoba Water Services Board, for his efforts in initiating and securing funding for a ground water supply investigation, as well as Steve Wiecek of Winnipeg-based W.L. Gibbons and Associates, the hydrogeologist who located the source.
“He was successful in finding a new water source which would provide the community with the quality and quantity of water required,” Routledge said.
The work to bring the new water to the community’s taps included the drilling of two new wells, the construction of a control building, installation of seven and a half kilometres of pipeline and upgrades to the water treatment plant.
The treatment process has been slightly reconfigured, which has already proven beneficial.
“The water used to come into the plant, go through a reverse osmosis system and then a green sand filter system,” Routledge said. “Now, the flow is split. We gained about 25% more capacity based on that. With the new water quality being so much better it has virtually no arsenic in it. We’re using about half the chlorine we used to and about half the anti-scaling chemicals. It’s just generally a lot more economical and a lot easier water to deal with, and it’s a lot better balanced so it doesn’t have the corrosive tendencies that the old water had.”
Routledge said that the new water supply was brought online on July 27. Monitoring wells are in place to keep an eye on the aquifer levels, and the existing wells will remain active as a backup for the time being.
“We pull the data from those (monitoring wells) about once a month, and then monitor the ground water levels to see if we’re depleting the overall aquifer levels. As of now, everything’s good and the prediction from the geologists is that there should be a good supply of water here.”
Routledge predicted that the change would have spinoff benefits in the long run.
“To have a new water source with excellent quality and capacity along with a new water treatment plant commissioned a couple of years ago - Virden is now ready for expansion and welcomes new businesses and residents,” he said.
The approximately $3 million cost was co-funded by the Town and the Manitoba Water Services Board.
Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt joined Mayor Murray Wright in cutting the ribbon.
“Good water and a plentiful supply is essential to the success of any community,” he said. “This project guarantees that the Town of Virden will have just that for the use of its citizens and businesses for years to come. It shows what is possible when municipalities and the province combine their resources for the good of their citizens.”
Following the official remarks, dignitaries took part in a ceremonial toast to mark the discovery of the new water source and rescinding of the drinking water advisory issued by the province, which Wright called a “monumental occasion.”
“To our beautiful, clean, clear, non-arsenic water,” he said as he took a sip.
A reception was held later in the afternoon at Tundra Oil & Gas Place.
