SASKATOON — City of Saskatoon has assured residents that the water being discharged from the Water Treatment Plant into the South Saskatchewan River is not harmful to people or to the birds that gather along the Meewasin Trail near the water.
SaskToday received a news tip from a resident who was walking with family members along the trail near the treatment plant and noticed the water coming from the facility was a different colour, which concerned him.
The discharged water covered an area from 11th Street West, where the Water Treatment Plant is located, almost to the Victoria Park Boathouse, according to the resident.
Residents often engage in water activities once the weather turns milder, especially in summer, when paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and jet skis are common on the river.
When SaskToday reached out, the city said the brown to orange-coloured substance in the river is the result of the water treatment process. Plant staff use chemicals to bind dirt and other small particles to clean the water.
“The brownish-orange substance entering the South Saskatchewan River is a discharge from the water treatment process. The colour is due to iron content used in the removal of organics and other suspended solids in the raw water treatment process,” water operations manager Michael Blacklock told SaskToday.
He added the plant operates with a permit allowing it to discharge water into the river.
“While the discharge poses no risk to health or the environment, the City of Saskatoon is actively working to improve the aesthetic quality of the discharge,” Blacklock said.
