Winnipeg’s Water History

1. Winnipeg’s Water History From the Source to the Tap!

2. In the late 1800’s, Winnipeg had it’s first water service! • “Watermen” began hauling and delivering untreated water from the Assiniboine River using oxcarts.

3. This water eventually became too polluted by the City’s sewage to be safe to drink. Maryland Bridge (taken 1928). This is the place where water was withdrawn by the watermen.

4. By 1900, the City had begun to use groundwater wells as a source of water • These were often polluted too. A dirty well.

5. In the early 1900s, the population of Winnipeg was growing very quickly. Main Street circa 1911

6. People began to get sick, and some died of typhoid fever spread by dirty water.

7. Dig more wells North of Winnipeg • A professor named Charles Slichter studied Winnipeg’s water problems and thought up three solutions $ Build a pipeline from the Winnipeg River (Eastern Manitoba) $$ Build a large aqueduct from Shoal Lake (a huge lake on the Manitoba-Ontario border) $$$ Charles Slichter

8. Classroom Vote Which option would you choose? • Drill wells for groundwater north of the city • Build a pipeline from Winnipeg River • Build an aqueduct from Shoal Lake

9. At first, City council decided the aqueduct from Shoal Lake was too expensive Winnipeg’s old City Hall

10. People living in Winnipeg were against council’s decision • “We are willing to pay for clean water!!”

11. A new mayor, Thomas R. Deacon (1913), let the citizens of Winnipeg vote on the new water source. Thomas R. Deacon • The Shoal Lake aqueduct won by a landslide!

12. The aqueduct from Shoal Lake runs through 137 kilometres of wilderness to reach city reservoirs

13. The Greater Winnipeg Water District Railroad was built to transport workers and supplies for the aqueduct’s construction

14. Construction took 4 years, and ended up costing $17 million (a LOT of money in those days)

15. The aqueduct is made of concrete and covered with soil so the water doesn’t freeze

16. The Railway and the Aqueduct

17. Turn on the Tap! • Water from Shoal Lake began to flow from Winnipeg taps in April, 1919. • There have been no outbreaks of disease from drinking water since then.

18. The Deacon Reservoir stores water at the end of the aqueduct (near Fermor Ave., just outside the Perimeter Hwy.) so enough is available for everyday

19. New Water Treatment Plant Design concept (computer generated) • On December 10, 2009 Winnipeg’s new $300 million, state-of-the-art water treatment plant was put into action. The Plant Today (actual photo)

20. The water treatment plant is the largest project the Water and Waste Department has done since the aqueduct in 1919. About the same size as…… Area of 12,000 ft2 the MTS Centre!

21. Treatment Process • The plant is expected to last about 75 years • It can treat 400 million litres of water per day • Water can still be treated during a long power outage

22. The treatment process includes the use of ultraviolet light and chlorine to kill bacteria and other organisms that cause disease. UV disinfection chamber

23. Taché • Pumping stations throughout the City bring the water through a series of pipes to our taps. Water Treatment Plant