City applying for wastewater treatment plant masterplan grant

The City of Merritt is set to apply for grant funding to help complete a masterplan around upgrades to the City’s wastewater treatment plant.

“The City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant is an Activated Sludge Waste Water Treatment Plant that was built in 1960. The plant at the public works yard processes effluent, then sends the processed effluent through a gravity-fed syphon to the City’s rapid infiltration basins, where the final stages of processing take place and the effluent is discharged through the ground,” stated Charlie Henderson, Superintendent of Public Works.

The main problem with the current system is the capacity during freshet.

“The 2017 and 2018 flooding events created a significant strain on the existing infrastructure, along with the high groundwater levels in 2020. When river levels and groundwater rises, the system sees increased groundwater infiltration that severely hampers our ability to process waste,” added Henderson.

The development of the wastewater treatment plant masterplan will include a review of all existing data, evaluation of hydraulic capacity, treatment process capacity, plant reliability, and the development of a report of capital project recommendations including prioritization and costs.

If approved, the plan would be 100 per cent grant funded.