Award of Excellence
CEA Showcase Awards 2019
Small Firm - Big Impact

M2 CEA Showcase 2019 - Poster Board_2.png

Project Description

The source water for the facility is a groundwater supply from three groundwater wells. The new Horse Lake First Nation Water Treatment Plant includes Dual Media Filtration (anthracite & manganese greensand media), Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membranes, and Ultra Violet (UV) Light Radiation.

The primary treatment objectives of the facility are: turbidity, colour, iron, manganese, sodium, and TDS. A pre-treatment dual media filter system targets turbidity, colour, iron and manganese. The reverse osmosis membrane system targets dissolved constituents such as sodium and TDS. Giardia and Cryptosporidium are inactivated by the UV disinfection system, followed by chlorine disinfection for inactivation of viruses and for providing a disinfectant residual. A blending water system controls the proportion of filtered water to RO water combined for the final treated water blend, to help stabilize the water.

The Horse Lake First Nation Water Treatment Plant upgrades project began in 2015 with the preparation of M2 Engineering’s feasibility study, followed by a groundwater drilling and investigation program, concept/preliminary design, detailed design and construction. The timeline from the initial feasibility study to a fully functional commissioned facility was less than 3 years, which is an impressive feat considering the complexity and breadth of professional scope involved.

During the feasibility study, M2 Engineering evaluated several options for treatment to find the solution that best suited the needs of the community. Following feasibility, a detailed pilot program was completed to confirm the treatment approach and optimize design which allowed for quick start-up of the facility with no treatment optimization required.

High quality engineering and a sound project approach were evident by minimal change orders during construction; change orders were valued at 1.9% of the construction value.

M2 Engineering is particularly proud of this facility and its impact to the community, as it represents a substantial improvement to the community’s water supply and is M2 Engineering’s flagship project. This project demonstrates the BIG IMPACT M2 Engineering has had within the Water and Wastewater industry since our launch in February 2015.