Edmonton-based Stantec is set to lead as program management consultant for British Columbia’s massive $9.9-billion Iona Island wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) projects in Richmond, the sustainable design and engineering firm announced last week.
The existing Iona Island WWTP was built in 1963 and has been expanded six times to accommodate population growth and treatment upgrades. Now, a new facility will be built to replace the existing primary level treatment plant and meet all provincial and federal regulations for wastewater treatment, Metro Vancouver officials say.
The WWTP upgrade projects mark the largest capital program ever undertaken by Metro Vancouver — a federation of 23 municipalities, one electoral area, and one treaty First Nation.
“It’s a privilege to help deliver such a transformational project with Metro Vancouver,” announced Ryan Roberts, water business leader for Stantec’s North American team. “Our local and global experts have extensive experience delivering major, multi-year wastewater programs that will work in partnership to achieve Metro Vancouver’s safety, schedule, budget, and quality objectives for this critical program. This program will be a shining example for large water infrastructure programs for communities around the world,” Roberts added.
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The new Richmond plant will improve the level of treatment from primary to tertiary to protect water quality and the marine environment and help to withstand earthquakes and rising sea levels. The plant will also recover sustainable thermal energy and resources from the wastewater, all while minimizing its odour.
Also on tap are a range of ecological restoration projects that will better integrate the plant with Iona Beach Regional Park, home to a rare community of sand dune plants in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – a popular site for thousands of migrating birds.
Over the next four years, experts will perform geotechnical investigations and each of the treated sludge lagoons will be cleaned out in preparation to support the new plant’s construction. A barge berth will also be designed for transportation of construction materials to and from Iona Island.
Stantec has a significant portion of the project team based in the Vancouver area, and has worked on other large-scale wastewater treatment plant projects such as the Pure Water Program in San Diego, and the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility Capital Improvement Plan.
Completion of the Iona Island WWTP projects is currently scheduled for 2038, with tertiary treatment commissioning in 2035.
