GOVERNANCE

Commitment 5.4.6 – We will install remote water monitoring stations in five additional communities and build three additional water treatment plants.

Background:

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) utilizes a system that can monitor data from the water treatment plant and provide assistance to the community government staff. MACA has installed a DeviceLynk remote water monitoring system in six communities (Milestone 1 & 2) and plan to install 6 more systems (Milestone 3).

Remote monitoring systems allow for information from a programmable logic controller (PLC) in the water treatment plant to be viewed from a distance over the internet. The PLC is an industrial digital computer which controls and monitors processes in the water treatment plant. The DeviceLynk system allows for information being monitored by the PLC, such as chlorine levels and turbidity levels to be viewed online from a distance. The remote monitoring systems help MACA staff to spot and troubleshoot operational issues in drinking water treatment plants. MACA began installing the DeviceLynk System using the Łutselk’e water treatment plant as a pilot in early 2015.

In 2008, MACA and the Department of Public Works and Services (PWS) partnered with five communities to build their water treatment plants using a bundled approach under one contract. Utilizing GNWT Community Public Infrastructure Funding and Federal Infrastructure Funding and the technical expertise of PWS and MACA staff, the larger project was able to take advantage of cost savings. A second bundled water treatment plant project was started with an additional five communities in 2010.

Gameti, Wekweeti and Paulatuk have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the GNWT to complete the construction of three new water treatment plants in their communities and a request for proposals (RFP) was released in November 2016. Construction for the first water treatment plant will begin in 2018 (Milestone 4), the second plant is expected to begin construction in 2019 (Milestone 5) and the third plant in 2020.

Links to Other Government Activities:

The Departments of MACA, Health and Social Services (HSS), Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), and PWS work collectively to support community governments with a broad range of water quality activities. Information about NWT drinking water is available at www.nwtdrinkingwater.ca.

The bundled water treatment plant projects are successful examples of leveraging Federal funding and GNWT funding to invest in community public infrastructure. With the completion of this third bundled project, all water treatment plants in NWT communities will be compliant with national standards.

For more information about this initiative, please contact the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.