Co-Op Refinery Complex Wastewater Improvement Project
After CRC’s Section V Expansion, its use of water rose dramatically. It is using all the water from on-site wells and is now drawing on City of Regina water.
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The Company:
Regina-based Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) is a division of Federated Co-operatives Ltd. CRC’s workforce of over 1,000 employees operates a world-class refinery that uses cutting-edge technology to produce 130,000 barrels of refined petroleum products per day. With an annual production capacity of 6.8 billion litres, CRC is one of Canada’s largest refineries, distributing products to more than 780 retail gas bar and cardlock locations from Vancouver Island to northwestern Ontario.
The Accomplishment:
After CRC’s Section V Expansion, its use of water rose dramatically. It is using all the water from on-site wells and is now drawing on City of Regina water. CRC reached the limit of how much fresh water provincial regulators allow it to use. To continue to grow its business, CRC had to find a way to reduce its water use.
To meet this need, the CRC launched its ambitious Wastewater Improvement Project (WIP). Taking more than seven years and over $200 million to build, this cutting-edge environmental initiative is one of the largest megaprojects in Saskatchewan history.
The Wastewater Improvement Project, which became operational last spring, recycles water used by the Co-Op refinery. When fully operational, it will reduce the Refinery’s wastewater by 65 per cent and reduce its need for fresh water by 28 per cent. That’s the equivalent of the water used by 3,100 households.
But it’s not just water use that’s at stake. The wastewater treatment process also deals with pollutants being emitted into the atmosphere, particularly volatile organic compounds. This will be noticeable to those living in the neighbourhood near the refinery because it will reduce odours.
The Team:
Over a dozen professional engineers worked on the WIP including Everett Rueve, P.Eng., Bill Bobyk, P.Eng., Simon Kostic, P. Eng., Greg Perron, P.Eng., Adam Dawe, P.Eng., Ben Cressman, Engineer-in-Training, Maxi Gruetzner, P.Eng., Craig Twardzik, P.Eng. and John Hilts, P.Eng.