Water Treatment Processes
The City of Greater Sudbury owns and is responsible for the management and operation of:
- Two surface water treatment plants
- Roughly 1,796 km of watermains
- Six groundwater treatment well fields with unique distribution systems
- One independent distribution system that conveys purchased potable water from Vale's Vermillion Water Treatment Plant
Surface Water Treatment Plants
1. The Wanapitei Surface Water Treatment Plant
Located between Coniston and Wahnapitae, the Wahnapitae treatment plant is a conventional surface water plant, that receives water from the Wanapitei River.
Five pumps convey the raw water several kilometers to the plant for treatment (2021 Annual Report).
The Wanapitei surface water treatment process follows these steps:
The treated water is subsequently pumped to Markstay, Coniston, NEW SUDBURY and the Ellis Reservoir for distribution, servicing approximately 60% of Sudbury residents.
2. The David Street Surface Water treatment Plant
Like Wanapitei, the David St. Water Treatment Plant is a surface membrane water plant. This plant draws water from Ramsey Lake.
The raw water intake is located at a distance of approximately three hundred meters from the shores of Ramsey Lake.
The treated water is subsequently pumped to the south, west, and downtown areas of the City, as well as the Ellis reservoir.
The David street plant services approximately 40% of Sudbury residents and produces roughly 8 million cubic meters of drinking water annually which is impressive when we consider that the building is over 100 years old. The plant has undergone numerous upgrades throughout the years to meet changing demands and regulations, however the building itself remains a heritage site here in Sudbury.
Groundwater Treatment Well Fields
In the city of lakes, the vast amount of water stored beneath our feet as groundwater might go unnoticed. Yet, groundwater is an important drinking source for many residents who reside in the Greater Sudbury regions.