Month: December 2021
Happy Holidays from Associated Engineering
We began 2021 with much excitement, as this year marks Associated Engineering’s 75th anniversary, as well as a sense of optimism and hope that we could return to our normal routines.
We are extremely thankful to everyone, including our clients, partners, friends, and staff present and past, who have been a part of our journey over the past 75 years. We have grown from a three-person office in Edmonton to a company with over 1,000 staff in 21 offices across Canada. We have a proud legacy of projects that have supported healthy and resilient communities and companies. And, we remain one of Canada’s few, employee-owned, consulting firms! While the ongoing pandemic prevented us from gathering to commemorate our 75th anniversary, we hope we will be able to celebrate with you in 2022.
Despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had a strong year at Associated. Thank you to our clients for your continued trust in us!
Thank you also to the Associated team. I’m proud of the dedication and tenacity of our staff, and their commitment to technical excellence and sustainability on projects for clients from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Their innovation is demonstrated by awards for the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Bison Facilities, the Dawson City Water Treatment Plant, and Seymour River Suspension Bridge. Congratulations to our project teams!
During this holiday season, in lieu of sending out cards, we are supporting charities and organizations across the country that serve those in need.
I hope to be able to see our clients, partners, and staff in person in 2022. Until then, I wish you and your families a very happy holidays!
Martin Jobke, P.Eng.
President & CEO
Predictive citywide stormwater models help protect Lethbridge’s infrastructure
In recent years, the City of Lethbridge has experienced several significant rainfall events, resulting in roadway flooding and damage to infrastructure in Alberta’s fourth largest city. Extreme rain events in 2020 further highlighted areas prone to flooding and the need for operational improvements to the City’s stormwater management system.
The City’s stormwater infrastructure consists of approximately 465 kilometres of stormwater pipe, 6,000 stormwater manholes, and many stormwater management facilities. To better understand and help plan for improvements to their stormwater management system, the City of Lethbridge wanted to develop a stormwater model of the system, and retained Associated Engineering to undertake this work.
Our approach allows the team to focus additional effort on quality control and quality assurance of the models, as well as interpretation of model results
Project Manager, Adam McDonald, tells us, “The City sought the ability to evaluate their stormwater management system against design rainfall events to determine the conditions contributing to flooding. They also wanted to be able to confirm drainage capacities in new areas being developed, and where new areas will be connecting to the existing system.”
Our team’s tasks included data collection and review; development of a geographic information system (GIS) data model and model development templates; data quality control; design rainfall event selection and design; climate change rainfall forecast; development of existing system one-dimension by one-dimension drainage models; quality assurance and quality control reviews; existing system analysis and risk assessment; development of improvement concepts for five top-ranked locations; cost estimates; and reporting.
Model files are large in scope and incorporate all of the drainage infrastructure. As a result, the full City of Lethbridge model has been divided into separate models to streamline model run times.
The development of detailed stormwater management models using traditional methods is an extremely labour intensive exercise. Associated Engineering’s approach uses GIS tools and programming to facilitate development of key parts of the model. Associated’s team developed one-dimension by one-dimension (1D-1D), dual drainage models of the City’s drainage system, analyzing stormwater flow in the storm sewer system as well as surface drainage. The models needed to cover all of Lethbridge and be sufficiently detailed to predict flooding due to minor system (e.g. gutters, catch basins, and storm sewers) surcharge and major system flows (e.g. streets, streams, channels, and ponds).
Adam explains, “The model development required significant data analysis and pre-processing to verify data.” As a value-added exercise, Associated Engineering committed to additional data input, feature digitization, and GIS quality control.
“Our project team developed automated custom queries for GIS data processing, comparing the data by proximity to help identify and flag any issues. Any missing data was interpolated and flagged for future identification.”
Throughout the project, the team looked for opportunities to further refine our standardized approach to model building and made significant improvements to the GIS programming that is used to streamline the process.
The model results were validated against anecdotal information of historical flooding, matched known flooding locations, and, in some cases, the results of other stormwater models which provided confidence in the accuracy of results produced.
Climate change adaptation was a key consideration on the project. The team provided the City with models that incorporate the design rain events, as well as historical return frequency events, and forecasted climate change events. The forecasted climate change rainfall events will enable the City to quantify the requirements to manage current and future flood risk affected by climate change impacts.
The team also identified five areas for improvements to mitigate flooding. To assist the City with prioritizing improvements, we recommended that the City work with stakeholders to develop a customized definition of the preferred level of service for each area, based on a triple bottom line approach. The existing system models should then be used to develop a master drainage plan that takes a holistic look at flood risk and mitigation plans and thus inform investment in infrastructure and capital expenditures.
The project is in its final stages, and will be complete early in 2022. Our key personnel on this project included Adam McDonald, Andrew Rushworth, Carmen Janzen, and Laurel Richards.
Shaping our Shared Future – Desiree Pastorin
Desiree Pastorin is a Civil Engineering Technologist and Project Manager in our Winnipeg office. As part of the core group of staff since the office opened in 2011, she has been involved in nearly all of the projects delivered by our Winnipeg team. She has in-depth, multi-disciplinary knowledge of all aspects of water treatment plant design and construction.
With thoughts of adding a second child to her family, Desiree and her husband were inspired by her manager who had constructed a second floor on his home six years earlier. Desiree felt it was the perfect plan to create much needed space and remain in the house that her husband grew up in.
With the knowledge she has gained in her work at Associated, Desiree successfully took on the challenge of designing, drafting, and applying for the required building permits. In November 2017, demolition and construction began with the help of a few close friends. The entire main floor was gutted and re-configured. Over the next five months, while continuing to work their full-time jobs, Desiree and her husband spent every spare moment re-constructing their home, contracting out only the framing, drywall finishing, new HVAC, and exterior siding installation.
Now a family of four (with their two sons), their “new” home provides all the space they need, while also being energy efficient. Upgrades to the insulation and HVAC system meant that despite rising utility rates and the doubling of their home’s square footage, their home heating and cooling costs remain similar to levels seen before construction. For Desiree, using her engineering and construction experience has proven to be a real way to shape her family’s future and establish a sustainable legacy for her family!
BC Flood Protection Support
A series of heavy rainfall events in southwestern BC in November resulted in devastating flooding. Subsequently, Associated received many requests for assistance from provincial agencies and municipalities. Staff from several offices and diverse disciplines, including water resources, transportation, and environmental, responded to these urgent calls from our clients.
Members of our staff deployed to Highways 1, 3, 5, 7, secondary roadways, and other sites throughout the Fraser Valley and in the BC Interior to assess major bridge and culvert washouts, channel avulsions, and flooding and erosion issues. Associated also played a key coordination role supporting Emergency Management BC’s Emergency Operations Centre.
Associated provided emergency flood response for the City of Merritt following the Coldwater River flood that occurred on November 15, 2021. This event is now the flood of record and roughly doubled the previous 200-year estimate. Flood extents in the City were vast, causing dike breaches, dike and bank overtopping, two avulsions, a bridge failure, and extensive overland flooding. The City’s wastewater treatment plant was compromised and the FortisBC gas main supplying the City was scoured and suspended in the new avulsion channel. This all led to an evacuation order of the entire City.
Associated conducted an emergency channel assessment and recommended a design for a river diversion to put the Coldwater River flow back in the pre-event channel. Rapid dike inspections were then completed with the threat of further atmospheric river events, and recommendations were provided for emergency dike repairs, temporary works (HESCO Barriers and Tiger Dams), vehicle and trailer removals from the river, and a second river diversion. Associated provided hydrotechnical engineering guidance to the City’s Emergency Operations Centre, field reviews of all dike and bank repairs, and construction oversight at 12 sites with 10 contractors and the Canadian Armed Forces.
On Sunday, November 28, Associated received a request from Emergency Management BC and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to assist in closing a gap in the flood protection infrastructure along Highway 1 at the Sumas River crossing in Abbotsford, BC. Associated staff immediately attended the site and identified the required flood protection measures. We provided direction to the Military, the Ministry, Abbotsford Fire Department, and local contractors. A Tiger Dam representative provided assembly instructions to the team.
The team worked through the night to complete a 1.5 metre high Tiger Dam, approximately 100 metres long, to close the gap between the recently raised Sumas River dikes to the north and south of the highway. The Tiger Dam was assembled by 5 am on November 29.
Thanks to our team who worked through the night/weekend to support the installation of flood protection measures.
March 1, 2022 application deadline for groundwater use in BC is fast approaching
Did you know that the deadline to apply for a groundwater use licence to comply with the BC Water Sustainability Act is March 1, 2022?
If your business was operating before March 1, 2016, you will now require an existing-use groundwater licence to retain your water-use rights.
If you run a commercial or industrial operation, or a home business that relies on a private groundwater supply, you need to obtain a groundwater-use licence. A licence is required for farms, orchards, vineyards, nurseries, ranches, and golf courses.
If you don’t apply for your existing water-use licence before March 1st, 2022, you will forfeit your historic right and seniority to use that groundwater. Continued water use will be unlawful, and you may be subject to fines and penalties. To legally use groundwater after this date, you will need to apply as a “new user”, and temporarily shut down your water use while your application is being reviewed. Approvals can take multiple years to process.
As a new user, your application can be refused. If this happens, your water use will be permanently shut down.
With decades of expertise in water quality and hydrogeology and experience with the BC Water Sustainability Act licence application process, our team is available to immediately support you to help understand the Water Sustainability Act’s regulations and the process of applying for your groundwater-use licence before the upcoming deadline.
We’re here to help! Contact Marta Green at 250-545-3672 or greenm@ae.ca.
More information is available at www.ae.ca/wsa.
Perseverance and goal-setting led Lisbeth Medina to find her true calling in consulting engineering
Lisbeth Medina, a Water Resources Engineer in our Calgary office, credits her parents as early influencers in her life. She saw their discipline, dedication, and hard-working attitude and sought to emulate them. Her father, a mechanical engineer, always told her, “Everything is possible in this life, as long as you work hard and have a clear vision of you goals.”
As an undergraduate studying civil engineering in Venezuela, Lisbeth was attracted to water-related disciplines, including hydraulics, hydrology, water and wastewater treatment, and fluid mechanics. She was inspired to understand the science behind water and its impacts on infrastructure, the economy, and people’s lives. This led Lisbeth to move to Canada to pursue a Master’s degree in water resources engineering, with the added challenge of having to learn a new language. She says, “Earning a Master’s degree was always my goal as a junior engineer. It was very challenging to study and learn technical vocabulary in a different language, but I was determined to achieve this goal.”
After graduating, Lisbeth decided to take a job with a small consulting engineering firm in Peace River, AB. However, she always wanted to work for a big, successful consulting firm. She says, “Associated Engineering has always been known as an industry leader for quality of work, technical excellence, and innovation.” So, in 2011, Lisbeth moved to Edmonton and joined our Water Resources team.
“Now, I can’t see myself doing anything else, but consulting. I love the projects and the diversity of clients as a consultant, as well as the problem-solving, fast-tracked learning, design processes, goal-oriented work, and teamwork. We get to experience all of this in the consulting engineering world.”
Lisbeth reflects that being a female engineer has had its challenges, especially early in her career. She recalls, “As a young professional, some people on construction sites were disrespectful. With time and confidence, I learned to be more thick-skinned and focus on the goal and project deliverables.”
She adds, “My experiences as a water resources engineer and project manager have been absolutely great. I really enjoy connecting with clients and working with a team. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing the team working together toward a common goal and hearing clients express their appreciation for the completed work. Strong communication and teamwork are the keys to success.”
Lisbeth believes that mentoring young staff is a great way to promote a successful work culture, foster positive relationships, and share knowledge and experiences. Lisbeth feels that by providing support, guidance, and opportunities, young staff get to develop and meet their professional and personal goals. She encourages young staff to always ask questions, be curious, and be open to new ideas.
In her free time, Lisbeth enjoys working out, playing golf, hiking, spending time with friends, and exploring new places. One of her new adventures is modeling in charity fashion shows. She is also a Zumba fitness instructor and teaches classes a couple of times per week, incorporating some Latin-American inspired dance moves. Lisbeth is a strong advocate in motivating others to achieve their personal fitness goals, as well as their professional goals.
Wishing Ted Miller a very happy retirement
As 2021 draws to a close, we also say farewell and happy retirement to one of Associated Engineering’s longest serving employees, Ted Miller. As he embarks on his well deserved post-work life, we look back on his over 57 year career with us.
Ted began his AE journey in 1964 with our Vancouver office, working on the then new Highway 63 between Edmonton and Fort McMurray. His early responsibilities also included surveying and inspecting various projects in the BC Lower Mainland.
In 1966, Ted relocated to Prince George and quickly established himself as a senior construction inspector and a key member of the office. There he was involved with numerous projects including subdivisions, roads, treatment plants, and utilities for the City of Prince George, including helping to build the brand new community of Mackenzie. Ted returned to Vancouver in the 1980s, where he further built his resume by adding inspections of site work for both Expo 86 and BC Place.
Later, Ted joined our Kelowna office, working on projects for 14 years, in various locations up and down the Okanagan Valley and the Prince Rupert region. He led the survey for the design of the Okanagan Connector and he was the senior inspector for the Mill Creek Flood Diversion Channel. In 2000, Ted began working for our Calgary office on a major industrial landfill program that continues successfully to this day.
All of us at Associated wish Ted a very happy retirement and sincerely thank him for his many contributions to our organization and his decades of incredible service to our clients!
Another successful Movember campaign in support of men’s health
Associated Engineering’s teamwork and community spirit never ceases to amaze us and we’re proud to say that we’ve outdone ourselves once again with this year’s Movember Campaign! In total, 132 participants on seven regional teams representing offices from across the country grew some spectacular moustaches and collectively smashed our previous fundraising record by raising $46,359 (and counting). Our fundraising total includes a generous corporate donation of $9,900.
Our company-wide team also led the Movember Engineering Challenge (featuring engineering firms from across Canada) by more than double the second place team!
A big shout out to our team in Edmonton for raising the most funds in our network. This year, we also had five individuals reach Platinum Club Status by raising over $1,000. Congratulations to Doug Thomson, Alex Lyon, Jaylyn Obrigewitsch (1st year Mo Sista) and Shane Cook – and a special congratulations to Andrew Stewart, our first team member to individually raise over $10,000! Andrew is currently in 2nd place for the individual leaderboard in the Movember Engineering Challenge.
Thank you and congratulations to everyone who participated and donated this year. Your continued dedication to the causes we support are greatly appreciated!