Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades
Upgrading water systems for a growing city Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades
Ensuring safe and reliable wastewater service, protecting the environment and supporting south Calgary communities today and into the future.
Project overview
Today, Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant can only run at about 30 per cent of its capacity. We’re upgrading the plant so it can safely run at full capacity, enhance the treatment processes for regulatory compliance, and better serve residents. For Calgarians, this means cleaner water, fewer odours, enhanced protection of freshwater life, more reliable service and the capacity to support a growing city.
We're doing this by:
- Building new facilities for wastewater treatment, solids processing, odour control, energy recovery, and support facilities.
- Upgrading existing treatment systems, including disinfection, digestion and clarification, so they work better and last longer.
- Upgrading electrical and control systems, including new and improved buildings that power and support the plants.
The plant will stay in service and continue to serve Calgarians during construction.
Benefits to Calgarians
-
Reliable service you can count on
So anything that goes down your drain gets treated.
-
Less odour for nearby communities
Improved systems will reduce smells from the plant and make the area more comfortable.
-
Healthier rivers and fish
Reducing harmful ammonia in the river, helping protect fish and other aquatic life.
-
A better-looking facility
New landscaping, berms and lighting will improve how the plant looks and fits into the surrounding area.
Project location
1905 153 Ave. S.E.
Ward: 14
Nearby communities: Deer Ridge, Deer Run, McKenzie Lake, Parkland, and surrounding south Calgary neighbourhoods.
Aerial view of map showing the location of the Fish Creek Treatment Plant
Project phase
Latest updates
- Preparing the site for new infrastructure by removing soil and bedrock at the south end of the plant.
- We successfully installed large concrete support piles to keep the site safe for workers.
- Improving reliability with new electrical upgrades, including:
- Building a new climate-controlled electrical building.
- Installing two new diesel backup generators.
- Adding new power transformers and distribution equipment (Work continues until early 2027).
- Building the new Operations, Maintenance and Administration Facility and upgrading the UV Disinfection Facility (Work continues until mid-2028) .
- This spring we started building the new bioreactors and solids handling facilities (Work continues to early 2029).
- On July 28, 2026, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. our standby generators will be running while Enmax conducts some investigation work on some of their equipment that feeds the plant. The generators will be loud and sound like an engine running.
Thank you for your patience as we complete this necessary work.
Timeline
Image gallery
Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant construction
Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant construction
Fish Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant construction
Construction
Minimizing construction impacts
Construction can cause short-term impacts, but we are taking steps to reduce disruption wherever possible.
-
Keeping people and parks safe
New access gate reducing heavy truck traffic near recreation areas.
-
Keeping the plant operational
Staging construction so anything that goes down the drain still gets treated.
Outreach and engagement
We are committed to transparent, proactive communication with nearby residents and landowners. Outreach to-date includes:
- An in‑person public information session in February 2025 with presentation and open questions and answers.
- Guided plant tours for residents in fall 2025.
- Ongoing coordination with the local Community Associations and councillor’s office.
- Direct communication through emails, mail‑outs and project updates.
Project documents
Budget and funding
$823 million
- Upgrading the existing facility is more cost‑effective than decommissioning it and building a new plant. This approach reduces long‑term costs and helps limit pressure on water and wastewater rates.
- The project includes investment in energy efficiency and low‑carbon infrastructure, such as wastewater heat recovery, supported by funding from the Government of Alberta through the Emissions Reduction Alberta program.
Frequently asked questions
Project need and long-term strategy
Why is this upgrade needed now?
The plant was built in the 1960s and can currently operate at only 30 per cent of its full capacity. The upgrades are required to meet today’s environmental standards and support population growth in south Calgary.
Benefits for Calgarians:
- Restores full treatment capacity for reliable, everyday service.
- Reduces system risk and improves resilience during peak flows.
- Significantly lowers ammonia released into the Bow River, protecting fish and aquatic life.
Why isn’t the plant being decommissioned?
Upgrading the existing plant is expected to save $120–$200 million compared to building a new facility elsewhere.
Will the plant be expanded?
Any future expansion would be carefully studied and, if required, would occur south of the existing facility within City-owned land.
As Calgary continues to grow, we will need more wastewater treatment capacity. Any decision to expand will be made carefully, based on where growth is happening and how best to use existing and future facilities.
We are currently studying recent population growth to understand where additional treatment capacity may be needed and how to serve Calgarians most effectively.
Community impact (Quality of life)
How does this benefit nearby communities?
Benefits include:
- Improved odour control.
- Cleaner water (less ammonia) released to the Bow River, protecting fish and aquatic life.
- Updated landscaping: adding berms, trees and shrubs along the fenceline.
- Upgraded lighting: warmer, lower-intensity lights, programmed to turn off when not required for operations.
- Long-term reliability of essential infrastructure.
The plant does more than clean wastewater:
- It turns solids from the process into nutrient‑rich material that can be reused on local agricultural fields through The City’s Calgro program.
- It captures gas produced during treatment and uses it to heat buildings on site, helping reduce energy use.
- It will capture and transfer heat from wastewater flowing through the plant and use it to heat buildings on site, helping to reduce emissions.
How do you measure the difference in odour? How much will it improve?
To understand how odours improve, The City measured current odour levels and used modelling to predict future conditions after the upgrades are complete.
When the plant is running at full capacity, odours are expected to be about five times lower at the plant boundary and three times lower at the nearest homes compared to today. The upgraded plant is expected to perform as well as, or better than, the Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Operations and noise concerns
Will the new generators be noisy?
Noise studies show the generators will meet provincial noise limits during both daytime and nighttime operations.
The Alberta Utilities Commission sets rules for noise control. View Noise Control Rule - 2026 (PDF)
Will the generators run all the time?
No. The generators are mainly there as backup if the plant ever loses power.
In the future, The City may choose to use the generators occasionally to help balance Alberta’s power system during supply-and-demand issues. If that happens, the generators would only provide power for the plant itself. The City has not committed to doing this, and for now, the generators are planned for backup use only.
Any future non-backup use would follow provincial regulations.
Nearby projects
-
Helping prevent flooding along Bow Bottom Trail and nearby homes by adding stormwater storage, reducing the risk of road closures, property damage and basement flooding during heavy rain.
-
Making travel along Macleod Trail safer and smoother by adding median barriers, improving the road surface and repairing the bridge to help prevent crashes and extend the life of the road.