Water & Sewer

Water System & Treatment

The water supply for the Town of Gander including Gander International Airport is Gander Lake. The lake is approximately 56km long and 5km wide (35x2 miles) and is one of the deepest lakes in North America, estimated at a depth 305m (1000ft).

The Water Services Division of the Municipal Works Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of two pump houses, a water treatment plant and the water distribution system.

The Town of Gander operates and maintains a pump house located halfway along the north shore of Gander Lake. The intake is a 122cm (48 inch) pipe which draws water from approximately 5m (16ft) below low water level. Water is pumped from the lake along a 2,743m (9,000ft) aqueduct through a water treatment plant to a 6.26 million litre (1.65 million US gallon) reservoir where it is stored for approximately 18 hours before it is pumped again into the distribution system.

The water in the lake is soft, acidic, low in most metals, and low in alkalinity. It is high in colour and has high organic and inorganic chlorine demand. In 2008 the Town of Gander constructed a $9 million Water Treatment Plant to provide high quality water to its residents. Water treatment consists of ozone as a primary disinfectant with soda ash added to adjust the pH level and a low dose of chloramines to maintain residual at the limits of our system. Daily tests are conducted to ensure high potable water quality.

Wastewater System & Treatment

The Wastewater Services Division of the Municipal Works Department operates and maintains one Sewage Treatment Plant, 15 Sewage Lift Stations and approximately 86km of gravity sewers and force mains, including associated manholes.

Gander's new wastewater treatment facility is one of the largest infrastructure projects the town has ever taken on. Located north of the Town of Gander and south of Whitman's Pond, the new treatment plant is a replacement for the pre-existing wastewater treatment facilities on Magee Road and the east of Memorial Drive.

The project has greatly increased the performance and capacity of Gander's wastewater treatment system. The new plant and over 2.5km of new piping transports wastewater ensuring that the municipality meets Federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations as the Town continues to grow.

Chloramination Fact Sheet
Chloramination Study DMG
Monochloramine in Drinking Water
Chloramination Map of Canada