METRO VANCOUVER — Metro Vancouver’s Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Outfall Project has been named the 2025 Canadian Project of the Year by the Tunnelling Association of Canada.
According to a release, the award recognizes projects that demonstrate exceptional engineering skill, innovation and a deep understanding of underground construction in Canada.
The $356 million project was undertaken by Hatch, CDM Smith Canada and Pomerleau Bessac General Partnership.
The Annacis Island plant treats wastewater from a million residents across 14 municipalities. Its original 1970s-era outfall pipe needed to be replaced as it was too small, in poor condition and not up to modern seismic standards.
The new tunnel, completed in August, provides increased capacity, enhanced durability, and seismic resilience while improving effluent dilution in the Fraser River, the release notes.
The project team took an innovative approach to outfall construction, using tunnelling technology to install two 4.2-metre-diameter tunnels beneath areas most vulnerable to soil liquefaction.
The outfall tunnel connects to a 2.5-meter-diameter diffuser manifold pipe system installed in the riverbed. This is designed to optimally disperse treated wastewater to minimize environmental impact.
The new outfall system addresses future sea level rise and improves the wastewater treatment plant’s resilience, Metro Vancouver adds.
“This is an excellent example of Metro Vancouver’s commitment to building infrastructure that will serve our growing population and withstand challenges like natural disasters and climate change,” said Mike Hurley, chair of the Metro Vancouver Boards of Directors, in a statement. “Congratulations to our outstanding team on another excellent engineering achievement delivered on budget.”
Earlier this year, the project also earned an Award of Merit from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of British Columbia, in the Municipal & Civil Infrastructure category.
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