Horse Lake First Nation
Water Treatment Plant

Project Description

Horse Lake First Nation is located 75 km northwest of Grande Prairie, AB with approximately 500 people living on reserve. When M2 Engineering started working with Horse Lake, the community water was brown and unusable, there were issues with the wells, and the public had lost all faith in their water supply.

The project addressed several issues of the community’s existing water treatment system: aged treatment/distribution infrastructure beyond its design lifespan; elevated levels of manganese, TDS, sodium, and turbidity in the treated water above Health Canada limits; treatment consisting solely of sodium hypochlorite addition; and, various issues related to the old condition of the groundwater well system.

This project was innovative as it expanded the design criteria to ensure the deliverable aligned with the client’s expectations to ensure trust could be regained in the community water supply. Water quality parameters of iron, manganese, and sodium did not specifically require treatment as per reference standards/guidelines, however treatment of these parameters was critical for the project success. We applied advanced technology, such as chemical oxidation, adsorption filtration, and reverse osmosis membranes to meet the water quality objectives.

The proposed treatment scheme was pilot tested using small versions of the full-scale plant, to confirm treatability and to involve the client in the decision-making process. Piloting also prepared and trained the Nation’s operators by allowing them to participate in pilot plant operations.

Project Challenges

Technical risks included: groundwater availability, failure of existing groundwater wells, and treatment ability at the original facility.

M2 Engineering managed technical risks of the project by including hydrogeological work in their plan which involved investigation of existing groundwater well conditions, rehabilitation of the existing wells, and aquifer testing to confirm quality and quantity of the groundwater source.

Project challenges encountered/overcome included: setting up a temporary pilot plan in winter, providing modern engineering solutions and meeting automation expectations while minimizing operational complexity, construction of a concrete water-retaining structure in winter, and achieving a 3-year timeline for full project delivery.

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