The multi-award winning Kindersley Waste Water Project is the result of an innovative municipal and private sector partnership to generate new revenue from semi-treated backwash water and to address the increasing demand for water by businesses within the Kindersley industrial sector. Initiated in 2013 between the Town of Kindersley and Holland’s Hot Oiling, the project involved the construction and installation of all related infrastructure necessary to recapture backwash water released from the water treatment facility to a storage water reservoir where it can be resold to industrial users. Operation of the new reservoir station began in August 2014.

All costs associated with the construction, installation of infrastructure, and necessary permits were paid for by Holland’s Hot Oiling, and as per agreement with the Town of Kindersley, revenue earned from the resale of the water is shared between the two parties. The reservoir is expected to generate $500,000 over a period of five years.

The Waste Water Project allows for diminished strain on Kindersley’s water treatment infrastructure, greater environmental stewardship of a priority natural resource, and municipal ownership and management of the waste water infrastructure after a period of five years, all at no additional cost to taxpayers. In addition, the project supports the sustainability of oil and gas operations in the Kindersley region with less negative impact to water resources.

Over the past few years, water consumption has been steadily increasing in Kindersley. Consumption data also shows that companies in the industrial area draw significant amounts from the treated water supply for uses that do not necessarily require fully treated water.

In 2013, the Town of Kindersley issued a Request for Proposals from interested and qualified companies to form a partnership with the Town to access and utilize the wastewater that is discharged from the Kindersley Water Treatment Plant. Local company Holland’s Hot Oiling Ltd. was awarded the project and successfully completed construction of a new reservoir in July 2014 where the semi-treated backwash water will now be retained after being discharged from the plant. Once in operation, this water can be sold to industrial customers, thereby reducing the amount of consumption from the treated water supply used by residents and other commercial customers. Holland’s paid the full construction cost for this infrastructure, and by agreement with the Town, will split revenues from the water sales with the Town.

The Town of Kindersley offers potable water to its residents, which is piped from the South Saskatchewan River to the Water Treatment Plant where it is treated through a state-of-the-art filtration and treatment system that was upgraded in 2011. Regular maintenance of this filtration system requires that the filters be cleaned at least twice daily through the process of ‘backwashing’. Backwashing is the process of running treated water back through the filters and system to rinse out any particles that may have accumulated through regular usage. This water is expelled from the Water Treatment Plant into a natural creek, amounting to about 400 to 500 cubic meters per day. This creek will now feed into the new reservoir constructed by Holland’s Hot Oiling.