The Pembina Valley Water Cooperative (PVWC) will hold its annual general meeting from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Meadows Grill in Plum Coulee on March 21.
In the early 1990s, several municipalities in south-central Manitoba came together to form the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative. The goal was to develop a regional approach to supplying potable water in an area that lacked a wide distribution of good, plentiful water resources, despite exhibiting the highest rate of economic growth of any region in Manitoba.
As of this year, the member municipalities of the cooperative include: the Town of Altona, City of Winkler, R.M. of Dufferin, Town of Carman, R.M. of Grey, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin, R.M. of Montcalm, R.M. of Morris, Town of Morris, Municipality of Rhineland, R.M. of Roland, City of Morden, R.M. of Stanley, and R.M. of Thompson.
The mission of the PVWC is to maintain and enhance the quality of life for its member residents by providing reliable and affordable water that meets or exceeds Canadian drinking water standards. The cooperative is governed by a board of 14 members, with one representative from each municipal member.
PVWC acts as a wholesaler of water, distributing it through its pipelines to its municipal customers, who then sell the water to their end users through their own distribution systems. The service area covers 9,000 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 65,000.
The PVWC’s water supply comes from three water treatment plants located in Stephenfield, Morris, and Letellier.
– The Stephenfield Regional Water Treatment Plant withdraws water from Stephenfield Lake and has the capacity to produce up to 4.6 million liters per day (MLD) of treated water. This plant supplies water to St. Claude, Haywood, the R.M.s of Dufferin, the Town of Carman, Grey, Thompson, and provides a partial supply to the R.M.s of Roland and Morris. In 2024, the plant received a positive compliance report, highlighting its performance as it experienced growth in its distribution region and reached an all-time high in water production rates.
– The Morris Regional Water Treatment Plant in Morris withdraws water from the Red River and pumps it into a large holding pond with a capacity of 1,000 acre-feet. It can produce up to 7.4 MLD of treated water. The treated water is supplied to the Town of Morris, the R.M.s of Morris, Montcalm, Roland, Thompson, and Dufferin, along with partial supplies to the City of Winkler and the R.M.s of Stanley and Emerson-Franklin.
– The Red River Regional Water Treatment Plant (RRRWTP) in Letellier also draws water from the Red River, pumping it into an oxbow with storage sufficient for approximately two months. It has the capacity to produce up to 7.4 MLD of treated water, supplying the Town of Altona, the Cities of Winkler and Morden, and providing treated water to the Municipalities of Emerson-Franklin, Rhineland, Montcalm, Stanley, as well as the Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation.
At this week’s annual general meeting in Plum Coulee, PVWC members will present last year’s financial statements and appoint an auditor for 2025. There will also be a presentation from the Office of Drinking Water during the meeting.
