Supply and Demand - How Fredericton-s Water Supply developed and is evolving to meet future growth
Neil Thomas (City of Fredericton)

In order to understand where we are going, we first need to understand where weeve been. This presentation will cover a brief history of how Frederictones water supply was developed and how it has evolved to where it is in the present day, along with some of the lessons learned along the way.

Frederictones water utility has a proud history of innovation, dating back to 1883 when the first pumping station was constructed. From pumping station to surface water treatment plant, then to ground water sourced manganese removal plant, the WL Barrett Treatment plant has undergone many changes over the years. It serves as a prime example of how existing infrastructure can be adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of a municipality. The addition of the EJ Bliss Treatment plant and associated well-field has added redundancy to our water supply which will become even more important as we look to the future.

We will also discuss how the utility plans to address the rapid population growth that we have seen over the last few years in Fredericton and across the maritimes. Based on increased consumption projections we know that our current supply cannot meet the demands of 2050, so we have already begun planning to expand our capacity. The first step is adding more production wells, which is now underway with production well #12 drilled and soon to be commissioned, along with two more production wells in the works.

In order to prepare for the future, we must continue the tradition of innovation that our utility has prided itself on over the last 141 years. The work must start now in order to meet future demands and continue providing top quality drinking water to the citizens of Fredericton for years to come.