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Phone: 1-800-383-0834Email: mywater@epcor.com
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The E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant is one of Edmonton's two water treatment plants, and has been providing water to Edmontonians since 1976. Water from the North Saskatchewan River is treated, tested and stored on-site in reservoirs until is needed. Safe, clean drinking water is then pumped out through the transmission/distribution system to homes and businesses throughout the city and the surrounding areas.
Another part of our plan to protect the E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant during a major flood event includes preventing river water from backing up into the water treatment plant through drainage pipes that discharge to the river.
The E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant has piping systems that collect rainwater and process water to be returned to the river. Today, those are open outfalls that could allow river water to flow in the opposite direction during a flood. If that were to happen, we would see surcharging from manholes that could allow water to reach sensitive equipment. We would also see untreated river water backing up into the treatment plant, contaminating the process with dirty water and the harmful microorganisms we are trying to remove.
We plan to install valves in the piping systems that we can close in the event of an elevated river level to prevent this from happening. This work is currently planned to take place within existing buildings on the site and within our fence line.
The planning for this work is currently underway and we expect all to be completed in the fall of 2023.
