Winnipeg is undertaking one of the largest wastewater infrastructure renewals in Canada as it races to replace aging treatment capacity while keeping its primary plant fully operational. At the centre of the effort is a $3.2 billion, multi-phase upgrade of the North End Wastewater Treatment Plant, officially known as the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC), a facility that treats roughly 70% of the city’s wastewater and processes all biosolids generated across the municipal system.
Commissioned in 1937, the NEWPCC is the oldest and largest of Winnipeg’s three wastewater treatment plants, processing approximately 195 million litres of wastewater per day. With tightening environmental licence requirements and limited remaining capacity to support population and industrial growth, the City of Winnipeg launched a comprehensive renewal program extending to 2032.
A phased, live-plant transformation
The upgrade is being delivered through three major projects, sequenced to allow the plant to remain in continuous operation throughout construction—an approach that has required complex planning and execution while millions of litres of wastewater continue to flow through the site every day.
- The first phase, Power Supply and Headworks Facilities, is nearing completion and is expected to be fully operational in 2026. This phase replaces the plant’s front-end infrastructure, including raw sewage pumping, screening, grit removal, power supply, and control systems. Delivery is being carried out under a design-build contract by Red River Solutions, a joint venture between Aecon and Oscar Renda Contracting of Canada.
The new, unfinished headworks building at the North End Wastewater Treatment Plant (NEWPCC). Credit: City of Winnipeg.
Construction has involved deep underground structures, new tunnels and chambers, and extensive tie-ins to existing systems, all while maintaining uninterrupted treatment. Once operational, the new headworks will significantly improve reliability and form the foundation required for the remaining upgrades. The Phase 1 capital program also includes supporting upgrades already underway, such as a new distributed control system, primary clarification improvements to protect digester capacity, and ultraviolet disinfection upgrades expected to cut energy use by about 75%, with completion targeted for 2027.
- The second phase, the Biosolids Facilities Upgrade, is now in design with early works underway. Scheduled for completion in 2030, this project will replace and expand sludge processing capacity, enabling increased nutrient recovery and beneficial reuse. Delivery is being led by Red River Biosolids Partners, a progressive design-build consortium comprising Aecon (as lead partner), Oscar Renda Contracting of Canada, and MWH Constructors Canada.
- The third and final phase, the Nutrient Removal Facilities, will upgrade bioreactors, fermenters, and secondary clarifiers to further reduce nutrient discharges before treated effluent enters the river. Targeted for completion in 2032, the project is advancing through procurement and early planning and is considered critical to sustaining long-term treatment capacity at the North End plant.
Coordinated delivery of a critical asset
Throughout the upgrade, the City has retained ownership and operational control of the NEWPCC, while construction is delivered through multiple private-sector consortia using design-build and progressive design-build models. Program-level technical and strategic advisory support is provided under the Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Program, with Veolia supporting the City on long-term capital planning, project sequencing, and asset management considerations.
This approach has allowed Winnipeg to coordinate upgrades at its primary treatment facility while maintaining compliance across the broader wastewater system. The South End Water Pollution Control Centre, which treats roughly 20% of the city’s flows, has largely completed its major upgrades and has met licence requirements since 2023. The smaller West End Water Pollution Control Centre, treating about 10% of flows, has remained compliant since earlier nutrient removal upgrades.
With headworks nearing completion and subsequent phases advancing, the NEWPCC renewal represents a rare example of a full-scale transformation of a primary wastewater treatment facility carried out while maintaining continuous service. For utilities facing aging assets, regulatory pressure, and growth constraints, Winnipeg’s North End project underscores both the complexity and the necessity of rebuilding at full flow.
