Ucluelet Water Capacity and Filtration Improvements Project
Water Treatment Plant
The project team has recently completed the 16-month design process for Ucluelet’s new Water Treatment Plant, which will be built at the existing Lost Shoe Creek aquifer well site. The new facility will remove iron and manganese from the water supply, addressing Ucluelet’s long-standing brown water issues. Construction will take place through the winter, with the plant expected to be operational by fall 2026.
To watch the Water Treatment Plant project design video, click here.
New building to be added to the existing well site at Lost Shoe Creek Aquifer as illustrated below.
Proposed District of Ucluelet Water Treatment Upgrades
Details
- Current Estimate $20,745,400
- Municipal loan: $13,000,000
- Approved Grant: $7,039,680
- Construction Start: September 2023
- Construction Completion: October 2026
Background
The District of Ucluelet has experienced decades of water quality challenges. Residents and visitors of the community have concerns ranging from objections of the aesthetics of the often-discoloured water to more serious questions about the potential health impacts of consuming Ucluelet’s water.
Symptoms of Ucluelet’s water quality can be observed at the taps of homes and businesses when the water runs thick and reddish-brown. The taste is unpleasant, and the discolouration is known to leave a residual which stains laundry, dinnerware, bathtubs and sinks. The discolouration in the community’s water appears to increase and decrease without reason and peak with disruptions in the water system – the phenomenon is known locally as “Ukee brown water days.”
The Problem
Ucluelet’s existing treatment processes and water quality do not meet current regulatory requirements as defined by the Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. The community’s water sources are high in iron, manganese and turbidity. The necessary addition of chlorine to treat the water for biological contaminants, produces coagulated iron and manganese which builds up in the system, unfiltered by the current treatment technology. Ucluelet’s post-treatment water is consistently testing higher in Manganese, Iron, and turbidity than the regulatory levels require.
The Solution: Water Treatment Upgrade
The proposed water treatment upgrades will treat Ucluelet’s water to within acceptable criteria defined by the Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water Quality as well as increase water storage capacity for estimated District growth.
The estimate scope of work includes the following:
- Upgrade treatment system for Lost Shoe Creek Aquifer