Winnipeg, MB - The City of Winnipeg’s annual Water Main Cleaning Program begins this weekend and will continue until late fall. Approximately 646 kilometres, or 25 per cent of the total number of water mains, are expected to be cleaned this season. The Water Main Cleaning Program is being fast-tracked starting with the 2014 program to clean all 2,585 kilometres in a two-year program, as compared to the routine program of six years. Water main cleaning is one of the key measures to reduce discoloured tap water.
The Water Main Cleaning Program operates seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to as late as 11:00 p.m. Crews will hand-deliver an information package up to seven days before the water main cleaning on each street, and signs will be placed at either end of the street during the cleaning. Residents can see if their street is on the weekly cleaning schedule by visiting the Water Main Cleaning Schedule.
In response to an increasing number of customer reports of discoloured water, an engineering consulting firm was hired to assist in investigating the cause of discoloured water in the water distribution system, and to provide recommendations to diminish future occurrences of discoloured water.
A report released on January 30, 2014:
- confirmed that Winnipeg’s water is safe and meets all regulatory requirements for health,
- identified increased levels of manganese as a primary contributor of discoloured tap water, and
- outlined a number of short- and long-term measures to minimize future occurrences of discoloured water, including reducing manganese at the drinking water treatment plant, and removing it from the storage reservoirs and distribution system.
Manganese is a naturally-occurring element that can be found universally in the air, soil, and water. It is an essential nutrient for humans and animals, with humans getting most of their manganese through food. It is also commonly found in drinking water treatment products.
The chart below provides a progress update on measures underway to address manganese and reduce discoloured water and address manganese. While it is expected to take approximately two years to implement all the recommendations in the report, significant progress has been made over the last five months.
While residents can expect to see a gradual reduction in discoloured water as each recommendation is implemented, even after all the measures are in place, there will continue to be incidents of discoloured water from time to time, as is common in most public water systems. A change in the rate of flow of water in the distribution system during routine operations (e.g., turning valves on and off, opening fire hydrants, repairing water main leaks) can cause sediment and minerals in the water pipes to loosen or dissolve and be released into the water.
For more information, please visit the Water Main Cleaning Program.
For more information on discoloured water:
- see the Discoloured Water FAQs
- see the Discoloured Water Investigation Findings report
- visit the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s FAQ on discoloured water
Progress Update on Measures to Reduce Discoloured Tap Water
| Recommended Measure | Progress to Date |
| Source an alternate drinking water treatment product (ferric chloride) that contains lower levels of manganese. | Switched to a new supply of coagulant starting March 3, 2014, that contains from 15% to 45% less manganese than the previous supply. This involved changing specifications and sourcing new product. |
| Modify the existing water treatment process to improve manganese reduction by changing the filtration process. | A filtration process change at the Drinking Water Treatment Plant was piloted over the winter. The design modifications are now complete. These changes are underway and will be complete this summer. |
| Clean and inspect the three in-town water supply reservoirs to remove any buildup of manganese sediment. | All three in-town reservoirs were cleaned this spring, with the exception of one of the reservoir cells at MacLean Reservoir and one of the cells at Wilkes Reservoir, which will be cleaned this fall. Overall, five of the seven cells are complete. Note: Cleaning and inspecting treated water supply reservoirs requires temporarily removing them from service and therefore is not performed during the summer due to high water demand. |
| Continue to operate the water distribution system with the least amount of disruption (e.g., minimizing fire hydrant use by City forces and contractors, decreasing disruptions in flow direction and velocity). | System operations are reviewed daily with the intent to minimize disruption. The hydrant use policy has been revised with a 78 % reduction in the number of hydrants available for regular use by other parties by (from 138 to 31). |
| Fast track the schedule of the annual Water Main Cleaning Program to clean all 2,585 kilometres in a two-year program, compared to the routine program of six years. | The 2014 Water Main Cleaning Program begins July 5. The start date was delayed as resources were required for the frozen water pipe emergency response. As a result, the end of the two-year program will likely be fall 2016, weather permitting, as water main cleaning is a seasonal program. |
| Investigate an alternative drinking water treatment product (a coagulant other than ferric chloride), which requires a one-year pilot testing process. | The design of the pilot water treatment plant is underway and construction is expected to be complete in October 2014. |
| Engage an independent consultant, whose scope will include a review of the recommendations to determine if there are any additional steps which could help to address discoloured water. | Obtained authority to sole-source the contract to carry out the review. Evaluation and selection of the consultant is underway. |