The Rivière-du-Loup wastewater treatment plant expansion project represented an ambitious initiative to increase the town’s wastewater treatment capacity. This innovative project involved adapting the existing infrastructure to meet a significant increase in wastewater flow, from 18,000 m³/d to 31,500 m³/d. The solution implemented, a first in Quebec, involved transforming pond no. 1 into a “fully mixed” cell and installing a ballasted floc clarifier at the outlet of pond no. 3, thus ensuring compliance with strict environmental standards.

Artelia was commissioned to design and validate the concept of this innovative technical solution, in collaboration with École Polytechnique de Montréal. Our experts contributed to drawing up the preliminary and final plans and specifications, as well as obtaining the necessary authorizations. We also monitored start-up and validated performance. The project presented a number of major challenges, including maintaining station operations during construction, and simulating future conditions to ensure optimum performance.