Village of Telkwa - Water Treatment Plant (2003-2004)

The Village of Telkwa is a small rural municipality located in northwestern British Columbia, along the Yellowhead Highway 16. The 2001 census recorded the population as 1,371 people living in 479 dwellings. Contamination from the two existing water sources in Telkwa poses a risk to the health of Village residents and to ensure a safe potable water supply, treatment of the water was required.

The treatment plant was designed by Dayton & Knight Ltd. to treat water with high concentration of suspended sediments, fecal coliforms and colour. The plant was designed to treat water from the Bulkley River and initially produce 1,700 m3/day of treated water with allowance for future expansion, for a total design capacity of about 3,400 m3/day.

The water treatment plant consists of mechanical flocculation, clarification by tube settler and dual media filtration. A SCADA system monitors and records the flows and levels in the treatment plant and reports alarm conditions to the operator. It also includes primary disinfection using UV, secondary disinfection using sodium hypochlorite and a new river intake system with a submersible pump. The choice of disinfection provides protection from changes in protozoan treatment regulations and minimizes disinfection by-product formation.