Government of Yukon

Get the Facts on Dawson Wastewater Treatment Options

The Dawson Wastewater Treatment project is proceeding according to plans. An efficient and low-maintenance plant will be operating by spring of 2012.

The Yukon government signed a contract with Corix Water Systems in July, 2009, for the design and construction of a mechanical wastewater treatment plant.

VERTREAT™ (VERtical TREATment) is a high-rate activated sludge process.

This technology is very well suited to areas affected by high energy costs and limited space for wastewater treatment solutions with large footprints, such as lagoons.

The project team researched many options: 

Dawson City faces severe space limitations due to permafrost and the state of the ground due to the town’s mining history. Northern energy costs also make VERTREAT™ an ideal choice for wastewater treatment in Dawson. Find out more about the challenges of wastewater treatment in Dawson City  8.7 KB

This technology is successful worldwide and specifically suited for areas where space and energy costs are limitations, making it an appropriate solution for Dawson.

There have been reports of challenges with this treatment option in other place, but the Yukon government stands behind the wastewater treatment system chosen for Dawson.

Facts about the system:

  • Operational issues at the Virden plant are not related to the VERTREAT ™ system but rather to the operation of the sludge handling system, a completely separate system.
  • The dairy at Golden Cheese in California was closed because the cost of production became too expensive. The VERTREAT™ system there is still in excellent working order.
  • The plant in King County, Seattle was part of a pilot program and was never designed or intended to operate beyond its four year lifespan. The technology used in this case was VERTAD™, not VERTREAT™, a completely different system which digests sludge. The senior manager in King County declared the plant “a successful project”.

Find out more at DawsonWastewater.ca

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