The Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct (GWWDA) is an aqueduct that supplies the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, with water from Shoal Lake, Kenora District, Ontario. Winnipeg has relied on the lake as its source for safe drinking water since the aqueduct was put in service in 1919 at a cost of nearly CDN $16million.[1][2]
It has a capacity of 85millionimpgal (390millionL) per day (4.4 cubic metres per second), a capacity that was planned for a city of one million inhabitants; peak water usage by the city was in 1988 and the capacity of the aqueduct has never been entirely used.
The aqueduct extends approximately 154 kilometres (96mi) from an intake structure on Shoal Lake to the Deacon Reservoir on the east side of the Winnipeg floodway, a few kilometres south of Highway 15.[3] Water flows by gravity from the lake, since the aqueduct drops about 91 metres (300ft) over its length.[4]
Access by maintenance staff to the aqueduct has been provided by the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway, also operated by the City, since 1916. The Railway formerly provided passenger and freight rail services to the public, from Winnipeg to the rail station at the Shoal Lake aqueduct intake.[1]
The first water supply system in Winnipeg was installed and operated by the private Winnipeg Water Works Company, which obtained its charter on 30 December 1880. The charter was for a 20-year period and the works were put into operation in 1882. The source of supply was the Assiniboine River, the intake and pumping station being located at Armstrong's Point on the north bank of the river immediately downstream from the Maryland Street Bridge.[5]
In April 1899, the City of Winnipeg purchased the plant of the Water Works Company for $237,650, making it a municipally-owned and operated utility. At this time, the source of supply was changed from the Assiniboine River to artesian wells. In October 1900, the well supply was placed in operation.
Between 1900 and 1908, a group of seven wells were dug. These averaged about 5.5 metres (18ft) in diameter and varied in depth from 14 to 31 metres (46 to 102ft). In some years, their yield was not consistent and it was evident that a more adequate supply was needed for the rapidly increasing city population.
Creating the Greater Winnipeg Water District
On 23 July 1906, a commission was appointed to investigate the best available source of water supply. The commission engaged the services of a group of engineers which, on 29 August 1907, submitted a report that recommended the City to go to the Winnipeg River for its future water supply. The commission endorsed this recommendation and forwarded it to the Winnipeg City Council on 30 October 1907. At this time, the City was undertaking the building of a hydro electric generating station at Pointe du Bois and was committed to the expenditure of a large sum of money. Consequently, the water supply project was postponed until 1912.
In 1912, the Public Utilities Commissioner, at the request of the City of Winnipeg, caused an investigation to be made and obtained an engineering report that recommended Shoal Lake, Kenora District, Ontario—the western tributary of the Lake of the Woods watershed—as the source of water supply.[6] Winnipeg Mayor Thomas R. Deacon spearheaded making Shoal Lake the city's water source, a project he had supported long before becoming mayor in 1913.[7] The engineer's report also recommended sinking of additional wells to maintain a supply until the larger system could be completed.
In January 1913, a series of meetings was held between Winnipeg and several municipalities in the surrounding region, who reached an agreement on draft legislation to form a metropolitan water district.[7][6]
On 7 April 1913, the Winnipeg City Council appointed a Board of Consulting Engineers to estimate the cost and general plan of the project to supply the Greater Winnipeg Water District with water from Shoal Lake. This report was submitted on 20 August 1913 and contained the following recommendations:
That Shoal Lake water is of excellent quality for domestic and for manufacturing purposes;
That Shoal Lake can be depended on to furnish all the water required for the Greater Winnipeg Water District until the population shall have reached about 850,000 and with the help of the Lake of the Woods can furnish a practically inexhaustible supply;
That this water be brought from Shoal Lake through a covered concrete aqueduct 136 kilometres (85mi) in length under open flow conditions to within about eight miles from St. Boniface, thence through a 1.7-metre (5.6ft) reinforced concrete circular pipe under pressure to the eastern bank of the Red River, thence through a 1.5-metre (5ft) diameter cast iron pipe in tunnel under the river, and thence through a 1.2-metre (4ft) diameter reinforced concrete pipe to the reservoirs at McPhillips Street.
The aqueduct between Shoal Lake and the Deacon Reservoir was to have a capacity of 390millionL (85millionimpgal) per day and the pressure portion to be capable of delivering to the McPhillips Street reservoirs about 140millionL (30millionimpgal) per day. The engineers estimated the total cost of the intake, diversion works, concrete aqueduct, pressure portion, and tunnel to be CA$13,045,600, excluding costs for land acquisition and for interest charges during construction.
The engineering report was adopted by the Administration Board of the Greater Winnipeg Water District on 6 September 1913. A by-law was passed to raise the sum of $13,500,000 for the project by the issue and sale of debentures. The plan was put to Winnipeg voters on 1 October 1913 and was approved by a vote of 2,951 in favour and 90 against.
The project was carried out as outlined in the engineering report with the addition of a 250 million gallon reservoir at Deacon (about eight miles east of St. Boniface), a second 5-foot 6-inch pressure pipe from Deacon to the Red River, and a booster pumping station on the east bank of the Red River capable of delivering 50 million gallons per day to the reservoirs at McPhillips Street.
Surveying along the route of the aqueduct began in 1913 and construction commenced on 1 March 1914. The first work to be undertaken was the building of a 110-mile (180km) railway, including siding and spurs, a telephone line, clearing and fencing of the right-of-way, and completion of the Falcon River diversion. Construction of the aqueduct began in May 1915 and was virtually completed by the end of 1918.
The Falcon River dam was constructed to divert discoloured water from the Falcon River through the newly-created lake at the west end of Indian Bay and a channel was dug to convey this water to Snowshoe Bay, away from the aqueduct inlet.
Opening and beyond
On 29 March 1919, water from Shoal Lake arrived at the McPhillips Street reservoir and distribution to the City of Winnipeg began on 5 April 1919. The opening ceremony for the aqueduct was performed by Edward, Prince of Wales on 9 September 1919.[9]
As a result of steadily increasing demand for water, construction of a booster pumping station adjacent to the Greater Winnipeg Water District's surge tank in St. Boniface was completed in 1950. This station allowed the District to fully develop the capacity of the existing works and to increase the flow to the City of Winnipeg from 30 to 42 million gallons per day. The station was equipped with three 20 million gallons per day pumping units with electrically controlled switchgear and electrically operated discharge valves. This was the first major addition to the District's aqueduct since the original works were completed in 1919.
In 1954, the District completed a direct 41-centimetre (16in) diameter pipe connection between the aqueduct and the Municipality of St. Vital, the cost being borne between the District and St. Vital. A pumping station was paid for and operated by St. Vital.
Equipment to fluoridate the water supply was installed at the aqueduct intake and operations commenced on 28 December 1956.
In June 2019, a road to serve the Shoal Lake 40 reserve was completed and officially opened. Residents of Shoal Lake 40 living on the peninsula between Indian and Snowshoe Bays were initially land-locked by the channel conveying water to Snowshoe Bay, and the water in Snowshoe Bay was often not potable.[10]
The Shoal Lake 40 First Nation community had proposed developments but they were cancelled in the interest of protecting the watershed. In lieu of these cancelled developments, a trust fund for the First Nation was set up, to which both the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba both contribute to.[1]
Description
The entry structure is located at Indian Bay, Shoal Lake, Ontario. On its way to Winnipeg the aqueduct and railway pass through East Braintree, McMunn, Hadashville, Spruce, Larkhill, Monominto, Millbrook and Deacon stations.[11]
The system consists of about 83-mile (134km) of buried concrete unpressurized conduit and 9.9-mile (16km) of buried pressurized inverted siphons. Over its length the aqueduct crosses eight rivers. The conduit was built using the "cut and cover" method with an unreinforced concrete arch resting on a cast in place base invert. Sections at road and rail crossings had reinforcing steel. Siphon crossings of rivers were made as reinforced round concrete tubes. The interior dimensions of the aqueduct were selected so that no internal pressure was developed by the water flow; nineteen different interior sections were required. For inspection and maintenance, manholes were provided at approximately 1 mile intervals, which allow insertion of a small boat for inspections. Vent pipes in the manholes allowed controlled entry of air.
Structural design was complicated by the widely varying ground conditions, ranging from rock to soft peat soil. In some places, gravel fill was brought in to replace unsuitable material excavated. The depth of backfill was intended to protect the aqueduct from freezing.
To allow surface water to drain freely across the path of the aqueduct, inverted siphons were installed at fifty-six locations. Freezing was prevented by ensuring the outlet level was always below water level, preventing cold air from entering the siphon.
Since the Falcon River entering Shoal Lake drains a considerable area of muskeg, a dike was built in the lake to prevent brown, organics-laden water from being drawn into the aqueduct. The intake structure included dual intake chambers to allow for maintenance of one while the other was in use. Again, to prevent cold air from entering, the intake level was well below the lake level.
Initially the aqueduct terminated at a reservoir built on McPhillips Street, which had been the center of the city's original water system. The design of the project included provisions for an additional reservoir approximately 13-mile (21km) east of the McPhillips reservoir. This would allow for peak loads to be served in excess of the aqueduct's nominal capacity and allow for maintenance shutdowns of the aqueduct without interrupting the city's water supply.
Deacon Reservoir
The McPhillips reservoir in the north-west part of the city holds 227 megalitres. The Wilkes reservoir in the southern part holds 251 megalitres. The McLean reservoir in the eastern part of the city holds 205 megalitres. The Deacon reservoir near 49°50′57.29″N96°56′07.63″W / 49.8492472°N 96.9354528°W / 49.8492472; -96.9354528, built in 1972 with eight open cells, holds 8800 megalitres, equal to a 20-day supply for the city. It is named after Thomas Russ Deacon, who as Mayor of the city drove efforts to secure the Shoal Lake water supply.
It was established in 1913 as a collaboration between the City of Winnipeg and its neighbouring municipalities, who decided to invest CA$13.5 million to access Shoal Lake. Winnipeg Mayor Thomas R. Deacon spearheaded making Shoal Lake the city's water source, a project he had supported long before becoming mayor in 1913. In January 1913, a series of meetings was held between Winnipeg and the municipalities, who reached an agreement on draft legislation to form a water district. On February 15 that year, An Act to incorporate the ‘Greater Winnipeg Water District,’ was assented to in the Manitoba Legislature.[8]
The District was administered by a Board composed of the Mayor of Winnipeg and four other members of City Council; the Mayor of St. Boniface and one other member of its City Council; and the Mayors of St. James, East Kildonan, Transcona, Fort Garry, St. Vital, West Kildonan, and Tuxedo. The Mayor of Winnipeg was the ex officio Chairman, and the work of the corporation was managed by a Board of Commissioners consisting of one to three persons.
The District sold water in bulk—without pressure—and at the same price, to the several participating municipalities. This price was at first based on the cost of maintenance, operation, and management; the Greater Winnipeg Water District Act provided that interest and sinking fund charges should be levied on land only. The GWWD Act was amended in 1927 to allow a maximum price of five cents per thousand gallons to be charged, which became effective on 1 January 1938. Any surplus from sales was used to reduce the annual level based on the findings on an equalization board
The District also operated a railway service between St. Boniface and Shoal Lake, and a sand and gravel business.
The GWWD was eventually succeeded by the City of Winnipeg Water and Waste Department.[8]
On 17 October 1960, the Second Branch Aqueduct was opened as a branch line built to secure the maximum capacity of the GWWD Aqueduct. At the branch's official opening, a plaque and stone & metal sculpture were also unveiled. Originally located on the west side of Pembina Highway, it was moved in 1988 when Bishop Grandin Boulevard was extended west from River Road to Waverley Street and the underpass at Pembina Highway had to be built.[12]
Shoal Lake is a lake that straddles the boundary between Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, northwest of the Lake of the Woods. Depending on the water level of Lake of the Woods, Shoal Lake runs both a tributary and distributary of Lake of the Woods and, for many practical purposes, is part of that lake.
The Winnipeg City Council is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Council is seated in the Council Building of Winnipeg City Hall.
East Kildonan is a primarily residential community in northeast Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Commonly known by its initials EK, the suburb has a population of approximately 35,800 as of the 2016 Census.
Transcona is a ward and suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of the downtown area.
Old Kildonan is the northernmost city ward of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Before the City of Winnipeg Act of 1972, it was an independent unincorporated municipality called the Municipality of Old Kildonan; prior to that, from 1914, it was a subdivision of the Rural Municipality of Kildonan.
St. Vital is a ward and neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The amalgamation of Winnipeg, Manitoba was the municipal incorporation of the old City of Winnipeg, eleven surrounding municipalities, and the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (Metro) into one.
North Kildonan is a city ward in northern Winnipeg, and a former municipality in Manitoba, Canada. Its population was of 2016 was 44,664.
Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg was a governing body that served as part of the leadership for the metropolitan area of Winnipeg. It was established by Premier Douglas Campbell after he was given a commission to do so by the Greater Winnipeg Investigating Commission. It was dissolved when its component municipalities were amalgamated into one "unicity" in 1972. Winnipeg is a city in Manitoba, Canada.
Hadashville is a small, unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Reynolds, in eastern Manitoba, Canada.
The Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway is a 164-kilometre-long (102 mi) industrial railway from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Waugh on Shoal Lake near Manitoba's eastern boundary. The railway was built between 1914 and 1916 to assist in the construction and maintenance of the aqueduct supplying fresh water to Winnipeg. It is owned by Winnipeg's municipal government.
Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley, a low-lying flood plain with an extremely flat topography. This valley was formed by the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz which has rich deposits of black soil. Winnipeg is on the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies in Western Canada; it is known as the 'Gateway to the West'. It is relatively close to many large Canadian Shield lakes and parks, as well as Lake Winnipeg. Winnipeg is bordered by tallgrass prairie to the west and south and the aspen parkland to the northeast.
Shoal Lake 40 First Nation is an Ojibway or Ontario First Nation reserve located in the Eastman Region of Manitoba and the Kenora District of Ontario. The total registered population in December 2022 was 683, of which the on-reserve population was 306. The First Nation is a member of the Bimose Tribal Council, a Regional Chiefs' Council that is a member of the Grand Council of Treaty 3.
Woodlands is a rural municipality (RM) in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It lies in the southern part of the Interlake and is named for the community of Woodlands, which itself is named for the wooded lands of the area.
Thomas Russ Deacon was a Canadian politician, the 24th Mayor of Winnipeg in 1913 and 1914.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, is subdivided in different ways for different purposes. The suburbs and neighbourhoods of Winnipeg take their names from former administrative districts, parishes, and geographic features.
David Ennis, Developing a Domestic Water Supply for Winnipeg from Shoal Lake and Lake of the Woods: The Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct, 1905 – 1919, retrieved 29 July 2014, Master's thesis with photographs, University of Manitoba.
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