Winnipeg, MB - The City of Winnipeg is ready to engage with residents of Winnipeg and rural municipalities at two upcoming open houses on the City's Biosolids Land Application program.
Biosolids are a nutrient-rich, solid by-product of wastewater treatment. Applying biosolids to farmland in rural municipalities in Manitoba brings much needed nutrients to the soil and provides an opportunity to reuse biosolids instead of disposing them in the landfill. Biosolids land application is a safe, sustainable, provincially regulated strategy for biosolids management widely used in Canada and all over the world.
The City of Winnipeg is developing a new Biosolids Land Application program and is exploring opportunities to operate the program in the area west and southwest of Winnipeg such as the R.M. of Macdonald and the R.M. of Cartier. The City is seeking input from residents, farm producers, stakeholder groups and the general public on the program including preferred application locations.
Event details
| Date: | July 11, 2017 | July 12, 2017 |
| Time: | 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. | 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. |
| Location: | Brunkild Memorial Rec Centre 10 PR 305 Brunkild, MB | Elie Veteran’s Hall 34 Main St. E. Elie, MB |
| Format: | Drop-in (come and go) | Drop-in (come and go) |
For more information, please visit winnipeg.ca/BiosolidsLandApplication
Project background
The Manitoba Government regulates how the City of Winnipeg handles wastewater biosolids through the Water Protection Act. The legislation states that the biosolids must
be beneficially reused and nutrients must be recovered and recycled to the maximum extent possible.
In 2014, the City completed a public engagement program on biosolids management and developed a 30-year Biosolids Master Plan. The Master Plan recommends that the City develop multiple reuse strategies for a flexible and adaptable biosolids program. One of the key reuse strategies is application of biosolids to farmland.
The first phase of the land application program started in January 2017. Phase one includes engaging the public and rural stakeholders in the program development and applying for an Environment Act Licence from the Province. Phase two is scheduled to begin in fall 2017 and includes a pilot project, which will have 5,000 wet tonnes (WT) of biosolids applied to farmland. Phase three includes a plan for a 20,000 WT per year, three-year biosolids land application program starting in 2018.