Where will our water come from?

Where is the community water going to come from?

• The communal water is drawn from Buckhorn Lake. This water is referred to as “raw water” prior to undergoing any treatment processes. The raw water intake line structure is located on the bottom of Buckhorn Lake (approximately 5 meters) and is connected to a deep concrete structure. The intake line connection to the low lift station allows the static lake water elevations to be relatively the same in the deep concrete lift station structure. The raw water is now accessible from within the deep concrete structure, where pumps provide the necessary flow to the water treatment plant for pre-treatment, treatment, polishing and disinfection processes.​

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How deep and how far is the intake pipe being placed into Buckhorn Lake and why?

• The intake is approximately 5 meters (16 feet) below the lowest recorded water level since the 1970s.

• The shallowest location is closet to the shoreline and is approximately 1.5 meters below the low water level elevation.

• The raw (lake) water intake line is installed below the previous existing ground surface.

• The length of the raw water intake from the lift station inlet (shoreline) to the raw water intake structure (inlet at the end of the pipe) is 620 meters (approximately 2,000 feet)

• The raw water intake length and intake location was selected through an in depth study, “Water Levels and Sourcewater Protection,” by Baird (consulting company). This study analysed water levels, site conditions, completed numerical modelling to determine particle tracking in the event of a hazardous spill.​

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What kind of pumps are required to bring water from the bottom of the lake to the Water Treatment Facility?

• The water from Buckhorn Lake is accessible from the low lift station building on the shoreline. The are no pumps needed to draw the water from the lake to the low lift station. There are 3 vertical turbine pumps designed to pull the water from the low lift station to the water treatment plant. These pumps were selected to supply the 20-year raw water flows to the water treatment plant for treatment.​

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There are concerns with blue-green algae in our lakes during the summer, how will we be sure this doesn't enter our homes?

• The potential blue-green algae in the raw water and removing this contaminant in the water treatment process was considered during the design phase. We considered this statement from the area health department, “Peterborough Public Health with the assistance of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) have received confirmed reports of the presence of blue-green algae in Pigeon Lake, Municipality of Trent Lakes (Crowes Line Road).”

• The pre-treatment process incorporates a technology referred to as dissolved air flotation (DAF). The pre-treatment system has been proven to be effective in removing algal cells with minimal chemical addition by creating smaller diameter floc particles that float to the surface of the treatment unit and are then skimmed off the top using scrapers. These Automatic Scraper-Strainers will be installed in the water treatment plant process.