Water Treatment

Environmental Services Department
Tel: (306) 786-1774
Fax (306) 786-6880

Pictured above is one of three water treatment plants

The City of Yorkton fresh water is supplied entirely by underground aquifers. The city draws from four main aquifers in various locations in and around the city. These aquifers are closely monitored by the City of Yorkton year round and are a sustainable and renewable resource. Using 14 deep wells varying from 13.2m (43 feet) to 58.6m (192 feet) water is extracted from these aquifers and then pumped to the treatment plants for processing. The City of Yorkton currently owns and operates three water treatment plants.

The first step in the water treatment process is to aerate the water. This is done to remove any dissolved gases in the water such as hydrogen sulfide. This also oxidizes Iron and Manganese in the water making the water appear brown in color.

In the next step the water is pumped into a detention tank where potassium permanganate is added. This helps oxidize the remaining manganese and iron. Oxidization is a process where oxygen molecules are stripped from the molecule and changes it's properties, in this case changing the manganese and iron from a soluble to an insoluble which can be filtered.

After detention and just prior to filtration, a polymer chemical is added. This aids in the filtering out of iron and manganese.

Pictured above are Pumps and Filters (large vessels behind the pumps)

The water is then pumped under pressure, through giant sand pressure filters which detain the iron, manganese (with help from the filter aid) and turbidity (suspended particles). Water treated in the filters goes through at minimum of one meter of sand with the sand being no coarser than 0.5mm. During routine maintenance these filters are back washed to remove the iron, manganese deposits caught during the filtering process.

The final step is a the addition of chlorine to the water for disinfection.

After the water is treated it is pumped to reservoirs and is stored until needed. The City of Yorkton has three reservoirs with a total capacity of 3,300,000 gallons, enough for two days at average consumption.

For additional detailed information, refer to the
2008-2009 Drinking Water and Compliance Report.