Water & Sewer Utility Billing Information

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2023 Waterworks Financial Overview

Water Treatment Plant

History

The City of Melville purchased the source water reservoir (Crescent Creek Reservoir) from Canadian National Railway in 1958. The dam was built in 1921. The City built the water treatment plant in 1959, the water treatment plant has had several upgrades since 1959.

In 1977, a 4,546 cubic metre storage reservoir was added next to the water treatment plant to provide potable water during peak times. In 1979, the Crescent Creek Reservoir was expanded to its present day capacity of 4,406,000 cubic metres.

In 1983, the water treatment plant was expanded to include a new package treatment plant that would treat more water for the City's demands. This new plant removed many years of water restrictions.

The surface water supply was prone to drought conditions, so in 1989 the City of Melville drilled a new well near an old well site west of the City. In 1990, Canada's first Electro Dialysis Reversal (EDR) treatment plant began desalination of well water. This EDR treatment plant was designed as a drought proofing during low water years in the surface water. Because the water quality was far superior to the surface water, the City decided to run this plant 24/7 and use the surface water during higher demand times.

The well water quality after treatment was much improved; however, the City only had one well and a treatment system that was limited to a specific quantity. The City decided to do further investigations into drilling a second well and treatment facilities to decrease the reliance on surface water. In 2003, the City drilled a new well with piping to the treatment plant.

Over the years, the process to treat the groundwater became more difficult to maintain as it had outlived its useful life and there was a limited supply of replacement parts to sustain it. Along with that, the surface water treatment process was also challenged due to the inconsistent surface water supply. The City began to explore its options and reached out to SaskWater for support.

In 2016, the City entered into an agreement with SaskWater to construct a new water supply system including a new water treatment plant. At that time, SaskWater took over ownership and operation of the old water treatment plant and supply system.

The new water supply system became operational in March of 2020 and was made possible with the help of federal and provincial grant funding through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.

Water Supply

The new water supply system includes 30 kilometres of pipeline that delivers non-potable water from four wells to the water treatment plant in the city. The new system eliminates the use of surface water as a source and relies solely on well water.

Water Treatment

The new water treatment plant is rated as a Class 2 water treatment facility according to the Water Security Agency. The treatment plant supplies potable water to the City of Melville and surrounding rural customers.

The treatment is a two-step process – greensand filtration followed by Reverse Osmosis (RO). The pipeline sources water from two wellfields and four groundwater wells. The wellfields are in the Hatfield Aquifer and in the Melville Aquifer. All four wells deliver water to the water treatment plant. The water is filtered through manganese greensand filters, followed by RO filtration where the water is further purified. The water is then treated with chlorine to keep it safe while it travels through the City’s distribution system.

The water treatment plant has the capacity to service the City of Melville and its customers fro the next 20 years with the ability to expand to 40 years.

The average consumption for each person per day is about 250 lpcd (litres per capita per day). The average water pumped per day to the City is about 1200 cubic metres. 

Water Distribution

There is more than 36 kilometres of pipe in the city's distribution system. The size varies from 50 mm (2 inch) to 400 mm (16 inch) pipe. Pumps distribute water from the water treatment plant to the distribution system and the water tower at the same time. When the water tower is full the pumps stop. The water tower`s height (47 metres) provides water pressure throughout the distribution system. The distribution system end with a service line from the water main to the customer's house. Customers have a curb valve, usually on the property line, and a metre valve just prior to the water meter.

Water Meters

Water meters are the last part of the City of Melville's distribution system, however it is usually the first thing that the customer notices. The water meter is an important part of the system as it accurately measures water that you, the customer use. Each water meter has its own identification and serial numbers. Almost all meters have a wire attached to the top that extends outside so that the meter readings can be taken without entering the customer`s residence. Residential meter readings are taken every two months.