The future of communities is dependent on the durability of the cities in which they live. Wastewater treatment facilities and connected elements are the key components of city infrastructure. Building these projects requires a variety of skill sets and a specialized approach that is dependent on each plant’s requirements. Pomerleau is building wastewater infrastructure to support British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley’s growing population.
Annacis Island’s Wastewater Treatment Plant New Outfall, the Trickling Filter Media Replacement and the Burnaby Lake North Interceptor are three of the projects Pomerleau is currently working on. The diverse demands that each location calls for require Pomerleau to break them down into manageable components. The company brings added value to each facility through its management capabilities and work execution.
Wastewater projects are challenging, but equally as stimulating and rewarding for those working on them. The expansion of the Annacis Island project, which includes a new outfall system, is technically complex. The new system must meet the needs of a growing population and safely release treated wastewater into the Fraser River. The new outfall involves the construction of two tunnels for a total of 820 metres, two 40-meter-deep on-land shafts and a marine riser and diffuser in the Fraser River. The new outfall system has also been designed to operate in the event of an earthquake. To remedy these challenges, Pomerleau is using a tunnel-boring machine which has been assembled and launched twice in one of the two (two drives) vertical shafts ultimately ending its excavation at the marine diffuser in the middle of the Fraser River.
The pace of work is very quick, and the stakes are high when building civil infrastructure. The engineering challenges that go behind the work, the methodologies and the diversity of the projects are enticing factors for those within the industry.
The Annacis Island plant treats about 175 billion litres of wastewater every year. The expanded facility will ensure that the plant can manage a higher volume of wastewater and continue to keep odour to a minimum. Pomerleau completed the first of two trickle filter media and mechanical component replacements at the Annacis Island facility. This work was to be performed within a limited time period during the “low water season” when one of four filters could be taken out of operation and offline. To perform the work, the team had to lift the facility’s dome twice, which required significant planning and pre-work preparation to avoid the risk of soil settlement and damage to existing utilities.
We hold ourselves and our work to a high standard. A lot of it comes down to our core values, a big one being love. I can look at everyone in the region and see that they enjoy working with one another at all levels. We are passionate about delivering projects with excellence.
The planning of water and wastewater infrastructure needed to sustain the growing population is essential to the region. To continue to protect public health and the environment in the growing region, Pomerleau is also working on another project, which involves the construction of two new force mains deep under the Fraser River that will carry wastewater from a new Pump Station in the City of Maple Ridge to the future Northwest Langley Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project takes place in an environmentally sensitive location and requires the use of multiple construction techniques including horizontal directional drilling, jack-and-bore casing installation, surface casing pipe ramming, and open-cut installations with shoring.
When organizing the work at the project sites, the team must plan their logistics carefully as they make their way through neighbourhoods and delicate environments. By clearly communicating up-to-date information, schedules, and approaches with its clients, Pomerleau can support them by building positive community relations and protecting natural environments.
Forging relationships with clients and communities to ensure that the well-being of the residents is preserved during construction, is necessary when building successful projects. With people being at the heart of the industry, Pomerleau revolves its practices around them. Collaboration is witnessed throughout all stages of a project. In Langley, Pomerleau is assisting a First Nations group with an archeological excavation and assessment in preparation for the future wastewater treatment facility construction. Finding ways to be attentive to community relations, the delicate environments in which projects occur, and communicating authentically with clients is something Pomerleau strives to do.
Pomerleau is building wastewater treatment facilities for the future of British Columbia.
We care about the work we are doing and the relationships we are building. We are grateful to be building essential infrastructure with our partners.
*This article was featured in Construction Business.