The Region of Waterloo has undertaken an ambitious $320 million project designed to reduce odours, further improve effluent quality and increase the efficiency and reliability of its Kitchener, Ont. wastewater treatment plant.
The upgrades, originally identified in the region’s 2007 wastewater master plan, are being carried out by multiple contractors, some of whom have formed joint ventures to perform the work.
AECOM is the lead consultant for detailed design and construction contract administration. CIMA is lending a hand on design and contract administration on a tertiary treatment building.
The plant’s current capacity to treat wastewater is not being increased as part of the project. The region said it is sufficient to serve the community to 2041.
Currently, work is underway on contract 2 (Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd.); contract 3 (Graham Construction and Harbridge + Cross Ltd. in joint venture); and contract 4 (Maple Reinders and Ball Construction in joint venture).
Contractors were prequalified to bid the project.
Waterloo Region project manager Moorthy Darmalingum said construction has required close co-ordination with treatment plant operators in order to minimize the project’s impact.
The plant must be kept fully operational during construction.
In addition, Darmalingum said, it has been critical to maintain a clear delineation between the various construction contracts "either in time or space" to comply with Ministry of Labour requirements.
Contract 2 includes construction of a new energy centre, designed to provide standby power to the treatment plant. This work was completed in 2015.
Digestion upgrades are expected to be completed early next year. These upgrades are designed to improve the digestion process and meet current gas standards, including a new membrane gas holder for storage of digester gas used for heating the buildings and digesters and for a possible future co-generation project.
The region is looking at installing co-generation facilities at three of its wastewater treatment plants, including Kitchener.
Contract 3 includes construction of a new headworks building with perforated fine screens and grit hand equipment to replace the existing headworks, which will be demolished. The new headworks building is to be completed by December 2017.
Also included are construction of two new secondary treatment facilities with aeration tanks equipped with new high-speed turbo blowers, sludge pumping stations and secondary clarifiers.
This phase, which the region said involves large amounts of excavation and concrete work, is to be completed by December 2018.
Contract 4 includes construction of a new tertiary treatment building with disc filters to improve effluent quality ahead of UV disinfection as well as a new treated effluent outfall with diffusers to improve dispersion into the Grand River.
This work is scheduled for completion by fall 2017.
The total cost for contracts 2, 3 and 4, including consulting fees, is an estimated $195 million.
Contract 1, which involved lagoon decommissioning and digested sludge pumping, was completed in June 2015 and fall 2013 respectively.
Scheduling of future contracts for an administration/control building, sludge thickening and other miscellaneous upgrades originally planned for construction from 2019 to 2022 is currently under review.
"In 2017, the region will complete a review of the work to be done and re-prioritize this work with a new implementation schedule for future contracts," Darmalingum added.
The existing treatment plant was constructed in two phases — plant 1 in the early 1960s and plant 2 in the mid-1970s. Biosolids storage lagoons and associated facilities were constructed in 1989.
The plant has the capacity to treat approximately 120-million litres of wastewater per day. It is currently operating at 60 per cent of its capacity.
The region said upgrades to plant 2, completed in 2013, have already significantly improved the quality of the effluent discharged into the Grand River.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed