WPCC Update and Expansion

WPCC Stage IV Upgrade and Liquid Waste Management Plan - Update

The City of Salmon Arm continues to advance the Water Pollution Control Centre (WPCC) Stage IV Upgrade, an important community investment that will support long‑term environmental protection, population growth, and compliance with future regulatory requirements.

As part of the early planning work, the City evaluated three modern wastewater treatment technologies through detailed engineering analysis, constructability review, and consultation with operators from other Canadian municipalities who use similar systems. Following this comprehensive assessment, the City has selected the Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process as the preferred secondary treatment technology for the WPCC Stage IV Upgrade. MBR offers excellent treatment performance, long‑term regulatory adaptability, and a compact footprint that fits efficiently within the existing plant site.

To guide the broader planning process, the City will be updating the Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) which is the broader guiding document outlining the process now and into the future of collecting, handling, treating and disposing of liquid waste in a manner protecting people, water and the environment. Updating the LWMP requires the establishment of a Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) and a Steering Committee. These groups include technical experts, agency representatives, and community stakeholders who provide input and support throughout the planning process.

As part of the LWMP work, the City has submitted a small‑scale amendment request to the Ministry of Environment & Parks, along with a communication log and supporting background information. This amendment seeks approval to update the project budget and confirm the preferred location for the upgraded WPCC facility. After submitting this package, the City is currently awaiting direction from the Ministry.

Engagement with Indigenous communities is an important part of this process. The City has sent outreach letters to 14 First Nations. The City has also met directly with interested Nations and will continue ongoing consultation as both the LWMP and WPCC Upgrade progress. This collaboration supports shared environmental values and helps ensure the project respects cultural, ecological, and regional interests.

The current projected cost of the WPCC Stage IV Upgrade is approximately $78 million. The City is actively working to secure provincial and federal grant funding for this major infrastructure project. Any funding not covered by grants will be addressed through long-term borrowing, consistent with the City’s long‑term financial planning practices.

With the preferred treatment technology now selected, staff will continue advancing the detailed design work for the MBR process and will incorporate this direction into the LWMP once Ministry feedback is received. The City will continue to provide updates as the project moves forward.

WPCC Expansion Information

The upgrade and expansion of the Water Pollution Control Centre (WPCC) has been identified a short term priority in the City’s Corporate Strategic Plan.

Over the last few years the City has conducted some preliminary studies and public consultation to better define the scope of the project. To fulfill the commitment in the City of Salmon Arm’s Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP), a site selection study was undertaken to confirm the long-term location of the WPCC. A long list of nine potential sites was initially identified by the City and assessed in the December 2019 WPCC Site Options Longlist memo. The results of the long-list assessment were presented at a public open house for feedback in February 2020. Four sites were shortlisted for further evaluation based on environmental, social, technical and cost considerations. In 2021 City Council reviewed shortlisted locations and preliminary cost estimates, and the decision was made to expand the WPCC in its current location, due to the lower cost of this option and the existing infrastructure of the sanitary collection system.

The preliminary cost estimate for the design and construction of the WPCC upgrade and expansion was $14 Million in 2005 at the time the LWMP was approved.

In conjunction with the site selection study the City also commissioned a wastewater treatment plant process selection study. This study investigated treatment processes that would be potentially suitable for the Stage IV WPCC upgrade (and future additional upgrades to 30,000 service population) the options investigated were:

Option 1: Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) processes (numerous variants available);
Option 2: Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) process;
Option 3: Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process; and
Option 4: Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) process (AquaNereda®).

From this a preliminary planning, AGS was determined to be the leading option and a cost estimate was developed for both AGS and an expansion using our existing CAS process for comparison. The cost estimate was based on the WPCC expansion to 20,000 service population.

The upgrade cost was estimated between $49,800,000 for AGS technology and $59,000,000 for CAS technology (2020 estimate inflated to 2024 $’s using BC CPI). The annual operations and maintenance costs are anticipated to be between $1,180,000 and $1,065,000, which is an insignificant change from existing O&M costs.

The next steps are to:

Complete preliminary studies (geotechnical and structural) to better inform designs
Complete conceptual designs and costing for three technologies; this will allow a fulsome comparison of options and help ensure competitive pricing regardless of the selected technology.
Complete minor and full amendment to LWMP

SITE SELECTION (2020)

You are invited to view a pre-recorded presentation below of the site selection.