Skip ribbon commands
Skip to main content

We have a 10-year utility management agreement with the Town of Canmore that includes water and wastewater treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection, storm drainage, meter reading, billing and account management.

Services

  • Water treatment
  • Water distribution
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Wastewater/storm water collection

Model

  • Operations & Maintenance
  • 10-year term

Population served

  • 18,000

About the System Infrastructure

Water Treatment Plants

Pumphouse #1 (groundwater treatment plant):

  • The groundwater supply services approximately half of the town.
  • Capacity: 8 ML/day
  • Consists of well pumps, chlorination equipment, and distribution pumps
  • Two reservoirs
  • Two booster stations

Pumphouse #2 (Rundle Forebay surface water treatment plant):

  • Surface water from Bow River supplies approximately half of the town.
  • Capacity: 9 ML/day
  • Level ll surface water treatment process includes coagulation, gravity filtration, chlorination and UV disinfection
  • One reservoir
  • One booster station

Process

Pumphouse #1:

Groundwater is chlorinated before being pumped to reservoirs, homes and businesses.

Pumphouse #2:

Water from Rundle Forebay is treated through a combination of chemical coagulation using alum, chlorine injection, gravity filtration and UV disinfection.

Water Distribution System
​More than 100 kilometres of water distribution pipes, ranging in size from 100 mm to 450 mm (four inches to 10 inches) in diameter, distribute treated potable water to all areas of town.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • Level III tertiary system
  • Maximum daily discharge: 22 ML/day
  • Includes biological aerated filtration (BAF)
  • Equipped with a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system that alerts the Plant Operations' on-call pager if a critical alarm occurs.
  • Eleven sanitary lift stations​​

Environmental considerations

Water systems affected

  • Water source: Rundle Forebay and groundwater aquifer
  • Effluent outflow: Bow River

Environmental stewardship

Canmore is located within the Bow River watershed and draws its drinking water from both surface and groundwater sources in about equal quantities.

Canmore's groundwater supply is fairly well protected because it's downstream of Banff National Park. However, the town's stormwater system is susceptible to a high water table and runoff from the nearby railways and highways. The town is currently working to determine if the groundwater supply is under the influence of surface water.

Recreational activities and transportation spills are the primary water quality concerns.

The Spray Lakes Reservoir system is part of the larger Bow River Watershed which covers 25,000 km2, starting in the Rocky Mountains and ending at the South Saskatchewan River east of Medicine Hat.

The Bow River Basin Council is a multi-stakeholder, charitable organization dedicated to conducting activities for the improvement and protection of the waters of the Bow River Basin.

Awards

  • 2002: Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships: Silver Award for Service Delivery