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For the City of Barrie, Ontario, the new Surface Water Treatment Plant (SWTP) will not only allow it to continue providing safe drinking water to citizens, but also decrease its reliance on ground water resources that it has utilized for many years. Since its first well was constructed in 1937, the city has used ground water from 18 deep wells within its boundaries, 14 of which are still in operation.

However, in order to continue meeting demands and sustain the ground water aquifer, the city chose to build the new plant, which will be able to process 60 million liters of water a day, Senior Project Engineer Graeme King says. “[It will be] comprised of a low-lift pump station and a main treatment plant,” he says.

When construction is finished, the plant will draw raw water from Kempenfelt Bay and process it with coagulation/flocculation, membranes, granulated activated carbon contactors and chlorine as a disinfection, before sending to the residential, industrial and commercial customers in Barrie’s south end. King notes that the project is scheduled to be complete by the end of November.

“It’s the biggest and most complex infrastructure project the city has undertaken,” he says. The building has an area of approximately 122,000 square feet and in places is three stories. The site also includes two reservoirs, totaling more than 5 million gallons and a raw water intake structure and low lift pump station. According to King, the SWTP is being constructed at a cost of $108 million and will be partially built into the side of a hill in a residential area. This location not only helps with the hydraulics, but also reduces the effects on the neighboring properties, King says.

“We’ve been very understanding of where the public could potentially be affected,” he says, noting that the city has made such accommodations as locating the diesel generators at the center of its site to minimize noise to these residents. It also will have established its build-out line extents, on the northerly side of the facility, where the closest residents are. Any future expansions will be buffered by the existing SWTP and therefore, dust and noise effects should be minimized.

In addition, the building will have sustainable features, such as solar panels and green living roofs. The project also has taken the opportunity to incorporate an environmental system that uses the cooler bay water that is drawn through the raw water supply pipes that are wrapped in cooling tubes for the environmental systems. “This helps reduce the cooling load at the facility,” King says.

Growing Strong

King joined the city of Barrie eight years ago. He notes that a key member of the project team is SWTP Supervisor Jamey Adams, who will manage the plant when it is finished. “He’s been on the project for approximately a year,” King says. “Sandra Brunet, manager of Water Operations, wanted their new supervisor included in all of the construction phases, [and] this forward way of thinking is a benefit so that whenever the ‘keys’ are handed to Adams, he’ll have a very clear understanding of how the SWTP was constructed.

“This will help Adams operate the SWTP with greater efficiency and he will hit the ground running.”

King also predicts more smart growth for the city. “The city has constructed the infrastructure to allow continued development, whether it be residential or employment lands,” he says. “The city of Barrie is a great location to work, live and play, and with the city actively preserving its pristine public waterfront parks, the city will continue to grow for those that want a great work-life balance.”

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