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History
The first components of the Camrose Water System were installed in 1910. In that year, 1,430m (4700 feet) of 8-inch
cast iron water main, and two water storage tanks were installed. One of the storage tanks was a 450 m3
(100 000 gallon) water tower located at 46 Street and 49 Avenue. The other was a 590m3 (130 000 gallon) underground
storage tank located on 56 Street, north of Mirror Lake, near the Senior Centre. Water for the City was drawn
from six wells and from Mirror Lake.
In 1929 Calgary Power purchased the water utility from the City of Camrose. A new dam, downstream of the old CPR dam on Mirror Lake, was constructed to form Mirror Lake as it currently exists. The water was not treated at that time.
In 1930 a Water Treatment Plant was constructed on the east bank of Mirror Lake, which provided filtration of the water. During the same year the City stopped drawing water from the six wells and Mirror Lake became its sole water source.
In 1940 low flows in the Camrose creek were experienced. Camrose was in danger of a water shortage. To increase the flow of the creek, the Miquelon Ditch and the Lyseng Slough were diverted into the Camrose Creek water system. In 1952 the Lyseng Dam was constructed to increase the water supply to Mirror Lake.
By 1957 the City of Camrose began to require more water than Mirror Lake could provide. In addition,
the quality of the water in the lake was deteriorating and quality expectations from customers were
increasing. Calgary Power constructed a pipeline from Camrose to Dried Meat Lake and began using Dried
Meat Lake as its water source. The water from Dried Meat Lake was "filtered" through a naturally occurring
"gravel aquifer" on the terrace above the lakeshore. Once the Dried Meat Lake line was in place, the City
stopped using Mirror Lake as a water source.
In 1980, the City of Camrose purchased the water system from Calgary Power. A study of the water system in 1980 revealed that much of the system was at maximum capacity, and that many components of the system were wore out, or did not meet the current codes.
In about 1985, it became apparent that the existing natural gravel filtration system could no longer provide the quantity and quality of water required for the City. This was due to growth of the community, as well as to degrading water quality in Dried Meat Lake and to rising customer expectations. At that time, the water was very hard and had high color levels. Modifications were made to the aquifer to attempt to improve capacity, but these failed. Also in 1985, manganese levels in the water from the aquifer began to rise. This resulted in severe problems with staining of laundry and dishes from chlorine based soaps and detergents.
In 1986, City Council approved a plan to abandon the gravel aquifer treatment system and construct a modern water treatment plant. The water treatment plant was commissioned in the fall of 1987 and was in full operation in the summer of 1988.
During the next 12 years the City spend more than twenty million dollars upgrading the water system
components. These improvements included upgrading the existing pump station and reservoir of 50 Street.
Constructing a new chlorination facility on 50 Street. Constructing a new reservoir and pumping station
on 55 Street and 43 Avenue, upgrading the lake intake station. Constructing a new pumping station at
Dried Meat Lake and Constructing a 16 km supply pipeline from Dried Meat Lake to Camrose.
The Village of Bittern Lake constructed a water main in 1987 to supply water from Camrose to the village. The Duggan Park Booster Station was also constructed in 1987 to boost distribution pressure in Duggan Park (the highest elevation in the City), and to supply pressure to push water to Bittern Lake.
In 1992, a 12.3 million litre reservoir was constructed adjacent to the existing 9 million litre reservoir in Rudy Swanson Park.
Between 1980 - 2003, approximately 16 km of old cast iron water mains were replaced throughout the City. The old cast iron mains (installed between 1920 and 1950) had corroded badly in our clay soils. The corrosion weakened the pipe walls and resulted in many water breaks.
The most recent addition to the water treatment plant is the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) contact facility, expected to be complete in late 2008. The GAC facility will provide an additional treatment step after the existing water treatment plant process to remove additional organic molecules from the water. The end result of this construction will include water with an improved taste and reduced odor, and allow for a higher level of disinfection using lower levels of chlorine.
The City continues to upgrade the water system and treatment plant to provide the best quality water possible.
