waterplant


With the warm temperatures upon us the flows and conditions in the Swift Current Creek have changed throughout the weekend. With these changes some City of Swift Current residents have noticed a change in the smell of our drinking water.

The early warming and snow melt results in challenging incoming water conditions. There is a large amount of ice remaining on the creek and when this is combined with the quick change in flow conditions the result is poor water quality going into the plant. Several residents have noticed a chlorine smell in their water over the past couple days. This is a result of the high Ammonia levels in the raw water going into the plant and mixing with the water treatment plant chemicals.

The Water Treatment Plant Operators in conjunction with Saskatchewan Environment have been working around the clock through the weekend to continuously monitor and adjust the water treatment process. So far the Operators have been able to ensure drinking water quality standards are being met. Plant personnel will continue to adjust and monitor the water quality in order to combat the high in coming ammonia levels for the duration of run-off.

Many residents have also noticed a fairly drastic change in creek levels throughout the weekend. According to Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA) below average run-off conditions are expected throughout the run-off season. Since the extremely wet Spring and Summer of 2011, we have had very little moisture through the Fall and Winter. The peek flows we have seen over the weekend were relatively low compared to what we saw last spring and are largely due to the quick melt of the snow that accumulated a couple weeks ago. At this point SWA has maintained winter flow rates being released from the Duncairn Dam. The quantity of ice remaining on the Creek can lead to ice dams which cause some temporary localized high water levels.

Residents are reminded to be cautious when near the creek, especially with the unpredictable conditions due to the large chunks of ice. The City will update residents as conditions change.

Shawn Mullin interviews City Manager of Engineering and Planning Services Trevor Feicht: