The British Columbia City of Salmon Arm has awarded the conceptual design of its Water Pollution Control Centre Stage IV upgrade to Brown and Caldwell Consultants Canada Ltd. for $1.1 million.
The city’s wastewater treatment facility was originally constructed in 1975 with capacity to serve approximately 15,000 residents, but the local population has now reached nearly 20,000.
The full wastewater plant upgrade project cost is expected to reach $60 million, including nearly $7 million in engineering fees, local officials stated.
At its April 14 meeting, Salmon Arm council voted to support a staff recommendation to include a pre-approved 10% contingency for the project to address unknowns that may arise, and an additional $200,000 for a liquid waste management plan.
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Brown and Caldwell will lead the project’s consulting engineering component, update the city’s liquid waste management plan (LWMP), and assist the city in procuring a construction manager at risk to provide cost certainty through accurate market estimates.
“For a project of this caliber, it’s essential that we get an excellent engineering team on board. They will save us money in the long run,” Salmon Arm city engineer Jennifer Wilson told council.
Local officials have already studied site locations and treatment options. Conventional activated sludge (CAS) or an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process have been the frontrunners.
The facility currently uses auto-thermal, thermophilic aerobic digestion process (ATAD) for solids stabilization. It uses a fixed growth reactor and suspended growth reactor combination for ammonia and phosphorus removal.
