“Being recognized as a future leader in our industry is both deeply humbling and incredibly exciting. It’s also truly gratifying that Associated Engineering staff have now secured this award for two consecutive years. In my opinion, this achievement is a testament to the exceptional work culture and environment we’ve cultivated at Associated Engineering.”
“This nurturing environment enables me to engage in exhilarating projects, actively participate in our professional associations, and contribute to my community, all without having to make compromises. As I reflect on this accomplishment, I am reminded of just how fortunate I am to collaborate with our exceptional clients, colleagues, and mentors.”
Rahim is the fifth past/current Associated Engineering staff member who has won this prestigious honour since it began being awarded in 2013. Congratulations, Rahim!
Associated Engineering is very pleased to be a supporting sponsor of No-Dig North taking place next week in Edmonton! Supported by the British Columbia, The Great Lakes, St. Lawrence & Atlantic, and Northwest Chapters of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT), this year’s event includes a full day of Good Practice Course sessions and a two-day technical program. Key members of our infrastructure practice from Alberta and Ontario will be presenting on all three days and we welcome attendees to hear from them in the following sessions.
October 23rd
Pre-event Good Practices Course – Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Presenter: Jason Lueke
The HDD Good Practices Guidelines course provides an in-depth overview of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and covers six topics: (1) operation and application; (2) equipment and materials; (3) planning, including surface and geological investigations, utility surveys, bore planning, and regulations and permitting; (4) job site safety; (5) risk reduction, troubleshooting and mitigation; and (6) design.
October 24th
10:05 AM – 10:30 AM | Salon 9 Dunlop St Trunk Sanitary Sewer Relocation – MTBM Highway & Creek Crossing with Limited Cover Presenter: Thomas Siuda
This paper will discuss the tunnel design by Associated Engineering (Ont.) for the Dunlop Street Trunk Sanitary Sewer Relocation project in the City of Barrie. The project features the design and construction of a 900mm inside diameter (1200mm outside diameter), 235m microtunnel drive crossing Highway 400 and Dyments Creek. Due to design constraints set by the existing sanitary system and required hydraulic performance, there was limited cover for the tunnel underneath both the major six-lane highway and the environmentally regulated creek. As such, the tunnel design was primarily constrained by the vertical alignment and minimal cover. The cover led to design challenges when considering size of tunnel boring machine, operating face pressures, potential for frac out and environmental conditions. The minimal cover under the creek was determined to lead to a frac out and required a design for temporary mitigative measures to place fill above the tunnel crossing and to divert the existing creek through a temporary culvert. The geotechnical conditions allowed for a feasible tunnel path under the highway and the sensitivity of the variable conditions within the design will be demonstrated. This paper will detail the design considerations and calculations used to determine the feasibility of tunneling with the available cover along the alignment and explore the risks.
The 99 Avenue Sanitary Trunk Bypass is a two-stage project to ultimately rehabilitate an approximately 1.1 km of cast-in-place concrete arch shape sanitary trunk sewer in Edmonton, Alberta that has been in service for over 70 years. The existing trunk is a crucial link in Edmonton’s wastewater collection system receiving flows from Edmonton’s west end. Phase 1 of the project includes the construction of a ~1.6 km long, 1,800 mm inside diameter bypass sewer, to divert flows for the Phase 2 trunk rehabilitation, and ultimately increase conveyance capacity. The existing tunnel is approximately 30 m below ground, and as such microtunnelling was specified as the required installation methodology for the bypass. The microtunnelling scope was awarded to Shanghai Construction Group (Canada) Corporation. The construction methodology included three drives: ~975 m long, which included a sensitive crossing of the MacKinnon Ravine; ~390 m long; and ~250 m long. Construction started in August 2020 and is anticipated to be complete by mid-2023; the final microtunnel drive was completed in November 2022. Project challenges included difficult ground conditions (abrupt changes in soil strata such as glacial clay till with frequent cobbles and boulders, sand seams, and occasional slabs of clay shale bedrock), complex deep tunnelled connections, tunneling distance, proximity risk to the existing degraded tunnel, and management of the social impacts of the project due to the duration of construction.
2:35 PM – 3:00 PM | Salon 8 Newton Force Main Replacement from Concept to Construction Presenter: Jason Lueke
The Newton Force Main crosses the Red River in the City of Winnipeg between Fraser’s Grove Park and Newton Avenue / Scotia Street, conveying combined sewage flows from the Linden and Hawthorne Combined Sewer Districts east of the River to the Main Street Interceptor trunk west of the river. The existing crossing includes dual 350 mm diameter pipes constructed in 1960 (steel) and 1978 (HDPE), which were inspected in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Excessive deformation and leaks were identified along the HDPE force main triggering the need for a replacement crossing. A conceptual study was conducted in 2021 to develop routing concepts considering horizontal directional drilling and microtunnelling installation methods and a drilled crossing between Fraser’s Grove Park and Kildonan park was evaluated to be the preferred replacement concept. Detailed design was completed in 2022 and the project was tendered and awarded to Accurate HD Ltd. The replacement crossing consisted of approximately 466 m of 500 mm HDPE DR7 product at a target crossing depth of approximately 32 m below the riverbed within medium strength limestone bedrock (Selkirk member of the Red River Formation). The crossing included a horizontal curve beneath the river and required entry and exit conductor casing through the alluvial overburden soils. A drill intersect method was utilized by Accurate HD Ltd. to install the conductor casings and complete the pilot bore; pullback was successfully completed in March 2023 with a maximum reported pull force of 52,000 lbs.
4:05 PM – 4:30 PM | Salon 9 Northwest Inner City Microtunnel for the Upper Plateau Sewer Separation Project Presenter: Nadeer Lalji, Jason Lueke
The Northwest Inner City (NWIC) Upper Plateau Sewer Separation Project is a multi-year project designed to alleviate flooding in the Sunnyside inner-city community in Calgary, Alberta. The project includes the implementation of a large diameter storm trunk syphon to intercept stormwater from the upslope communities, bypassing Sunnyside and discharging directly to the Bow River. Trenchless construction was deemed necessary to minimize disturbance to the community and traverse the change in topography from McHugh Bluff at the edge of the upper plateau to the lower elevation Sunnyside community and ultimately the Bow River. The project was designed as a single ~755 m long, 3,400 mm inside diameter, tunnel drive between a launch shaft near the apparent intersection of 10 Street and 8 Avenue NW and a reception shaft near the intersection of 7 Street and Memorial Drive NW, adjacent to the Bow River. The tunnel alignment consisted of two distinct sections: a deep section beneath McHugh Bluff through Paskapoo Formation bedrock that included a crossing of the Calgary CTrain metro line and a horizontal curve; and a relatively shallow section (less than three tunnel diameters of cover) along 7 Street within Sunnyside initially through bedrock, but ultimately transitioning into the alluvial channel deposits. Construction started in November 2021 and is anticipated to be complete by mid-2023; installation of the storm trunk syphon was completed by microtunnelling at the end of 2022.
2:35 PM – 3:00 PM | Salon 8 Newton Force Main Replacement from Concept to Construction Presenter: Jason Lueke
The Newton Force Main crosses the Red River in the City of Winnipeg between Fraser’s Grove Park and Newton Avenue / Scotia Street, conveying combined sewage flows from the Linden and Hawthorne Combined Sewer Districts east of the River to the Main Street Interceptor trunk west of the river. The existing crossing includes dual 350 mm diameter pipes constructed in 1960 (steel) and 1978 (HDPE), which were inspected in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Excessive deformation and leaks were identified along the HDPE force main triggering the need for a replacement crossing. A conceptual study was conducted in 2021 to develop routing concepts considering horizontal directional drilling and microtunnelling installation methods and a drilled crossing between Fraser’s Grove Park and Kildonan park was evaluated to be the preferred replacement concept. Detailed design was completed in 2022 and the project was tendered and awarded to Accurate HD Ltd. The replacement crossing consisted of approximately 466 m of 500 mm HDPE DR7 product at a target crossing depth of approximately 32 m below the riverbed within medium strength limestone bedrock (Selkirk member of the Red River Formation). The crossing included a horizontal curve beneath the river and required entry and exit conductor casing through the alluvial overburden soils. A drill intersect method was utilized by Accurate HD Ltd. to install the conductor casings and complete the pilot bore; pullback was successfully completed in March 2023 with a maximum reported pull force of 52,000 lbs.
4:05 PM – 4:30 PM | Salon 9 Northwest Inner City Microtunnel for the Upper Plateau Sewer Separation Project Presenter: Nadeer Lalji, Jason Lueke
The Northwest Inner City (NWIC) Upper Plateau Sewer Separation Project is a multi-year project designed to alleviate flooding in the Sunnyside inner-city community in Calgary, Alberta. The project includes the implementation of a large diameter storm trunk syphon to intercept stormwater from the upslope communities, bypassing Sunnyside and discharging directly to the Bow River. Trenchless construction was deemed necessary to minimize disturbance to the community and traverse the change in topography from McHugh Bluff at the edge of the upper plateau to the lower elevation Sunnyside community and ultimately the Bow River. The project was designed as a single ~755 m long, 3,400 mm inside diameter, tunnel drive between a launch shaft near the apparent intersection of 10 Street and 8 Avenue NW and a reception shaft near the intersection of 7 Street and Memorial Drive NW, adjacent to the Bow River. The tunnel alignment consisted of two distinct sections: a deep section beneath McHugh Bluff through Paskapoo Formation bedrock that included a crossing of the Calgary CTrain metro line and a horizontal curve; and a relatively shallow section (less than three tunnel diameters of cover) along 7 Street within Sunnyside initially through bedrock, but ultimately transitioning into the alluvial channel deposits. Construction started in November 2021 and is anticipated to be complete by mid-2023; installation of the storm trunk syphon was completed by microtunnelling at the end of 2022.
October 25th
4:05 PM – 4:30 PM | Salon 8 Opportunities and Challenges when Delivering Construction Administration for a Project Designed by Another Firm Presenter: Liam Sykes
This paper discusses the importance of having good collaboration between the entire project team, as well as a strong technical team for Contract Administration and Inspection when the Consultant administering the construction did not participate in the design, using the Langstaff Gateway Sanitary Sewer project as an example. The project for York Region (Region) involved 2.1km of 900mm and 1200mm sanitary sewer, installed almost entirely by microtunneling. Associated Engineering (Associated) was awarded the Construction Administration portion of the project, which was designed by a different consultant team (Design Consultant). This paper explores several opportunities and challenges on the project that were unique to or amplified by not being responsible for the design, and how they were overcome. Both technical and non-technical challenges and opportunities are discussed, including review of design change proposals made by the Contractor, unforeseen construction issues such as utility conflicts requiring design changes, interpretation of the contract and reports to respond to claims, and coordination with other stakeholders and the Design Consultant. These examples demonstrate the importance of having a team with a strong tunneling background to quickly respond to construction issues and provides a framework for dealing with design changes and construction administration collaboratively on similar projects. The paper concludes with a discussion on lessons learned and some of the benefits and drawbacks of using this approach.
For many decades, Associated Engineering has proudly served the area of Buffalo Pound Lake in Southern Saskatchewan near Moose Jaw. Over the years, we have successfully provided engineering services for water treatment facilities, lake intakes, pumping facilities, instrumentation systems, vulnerability assessments, and large diameter potable and non-potable water pipelines.
As Saskatchewan’s commercial Crown water utility, SaskWater has a mandate to provide water services to communities, industries, pipeline groups, and individual users across the province. The Crown corporation engaged Associated Engineering to develop the Buffalo Pound Non-Potable Water Supply System (BPNPWSS) – Regina Regional Project, an extension of the BPNPWSS-East (another Associated Engineering project), in southcentral Saskatchewan near the community of Belle Plaine, between Moose Jaw and Regina.
Associated Engineering’s scope of work includes design basis, preliminary and detailed design, procurement, and construction. Our team consists of specialists in project management, and civil, structural, fluid dynamics, electrical, instrumentation, controls, and process-mechanical engineering. Associated’s current focus is the $70 million pipeline portion of the project.
The extension of one of SaskWater’s major industrial water systems will supply non-potable water to industrial customers in the Regina area. The Regina Regional System currently includes approximately 65 kilometres of 400 to 600 millimetre diameter non-potable water pipeline, two booster pump stations, metering stations, and related appurtenances.
A major challenge for the pipeline portion of the work was cost control. The team selected a unique procurement process to help manage costs. Project Manager, Darin Schindel, explains, “Together with SaskWater, we completed the pipeline design to approximately 70% design completion, and then requested proposals from pre-qualified bidders. We engaged the successful bidder to assist in selecting the most cost-effective material to install within an optimal schedule.” Ductile iron was selected as the main pipeline material.
The team addressed additional project challenges, such as land control, the desire to use shared Crown Corporation corridors, and changes to delivery points for some key customers.
Based on geotechnical investigations and environmental studies, auger bore drilling for trenchless installation was recommended as the final route passed through the ecologically sensitive Cottonwood, Wascana, and Boggy Creeks. Darin says, “Pro-active collaboration between the owner, consultant, and other project partners helped to navigate challenges.”
As part of the booster pump stations and metering stations, the team is investigating using solar panels and net metering for building services power supply.
The project is planned to be complete in Fall 2024.
As a result of the uniqueness of the project, students from SaskPolytechnic’s Engineering Design and Drafting Technology Program were invited for a tour of the pipeline. Chris Robart (SaskWater), Darin Schindel (Associated Engineering), and Deller Reddekop (Hamm Construction) led the class visit. SaskPoly Instructors, Shawn Young and Earl Wingert, helped students connect what they were seeing on-site with what they learned in the classroom.
CanNorth, an environmental consulting company that is 100% owned by the business arm of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Saskatchewan, is providing environmental services for the project. Misty Clifton, a partnership between Misty Ventures from the Mistawasis First Nations in Saskatchewan and Clifton Associates, is undertaking the geotechnical compaction and railway monitoring testing. Scott Land & Lease, land acquisition specialists, are leading the landowner engagement and land acquisition for the project.
Our key personnel involved on the project include Darin Schindel, Keith Kingsbury, Kristin Sies, Bob Hawboldt, John Ullrich, and Josh Fichter.
The community of Big Horn 144A is located approximately 200 kilometres southwest of Edmonton in Southern Alberta. Big Horn 144A is part of Stoney Nation, which includes the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Goodstoney First Nations.
With a population of approximately 250 residents, the community relies on residential septic systems for managing their wastewater. In 2020, the community identified that failing septic systems, including overflowing septic tanks and broken wastewater pipes, had led to oversaturated soil in wastewater treatment mounds in residential yards.
Oversaturated wastewater treatment mounds can cause septic systems to flood into residents’ yards or back up into homes. Saturated treatment mounds can also cause partially treated wastewater to enter downstream drinking water sources, as well as emit hazardous gases. Therefore, replacing the failing septic systems was critical to mitigate potential risks to residents, pets, and wildlife.
Stoney Nation retained Associated Engineering to complete a feasibility report which identified 42 residential septic tanks and septic fields (treatment mounds) at the end of their service life. Improperly decommissioned septic tanks/treatment fields from previous projects were also discovered during the study and will be safely decommissioned as part of the project.
The project team worked closely with the Nation to complete the feasibility study and explore wastewater management options through a collaborative and open dialogue. In addition to collaboration with the Nation, the process involved community engagement.
As Big Horn is a remote community with no trained wastewater treatment operations staff, operations and maintenance of a new wastewater management system is an important consideration for the Nation.
Project Manager, Abu Waraich, explains, “It was important to understand and respect our client’s capacity, their needs, and requirements. We could not install large-scale wastewater treatment systems, such as lagoons or mechanical treatment, as they require trained operators and continuous system monitoring. In consultation with the Nation, we proposed septic systems which allow residents to manage their septic usage with just occasional operator visits.”
The project team identified the critical septic tanks that needed immediate total/partial replacement and are currently updating ten septic tanks in the project’s first phase. Phase two of the project will involve 25 more replacements of septic tanks, fields, or pumps. Abu shares, “In the next phase, the Nation will test a new technology in private wastewater management to improve treated water quality and lower project lifestyle costs.”
Approximately 80% of the labour employed by the contractor are local band members.
Associated Engineering’s team was involved in the system’s start-up and commissioning to ensure that the systems work properly and to provide training. Our support includes creating an operator training action plan for long-term, phased maintenance for the Nation to implement and monitor, considering the Nation’s limited operational and maintenance budget.
Abu tells us, “For safety, we also worked with the contractor to install fencing around the treatment facilities. This lowers the risk of residents, especially children, coming into contact with wastewater-contaminated soil or animals walking over the treatment mounds and breaking the pipes and affecting the system’s treatment effectiveness.”
Key Associated personnel involved on this project include Abu Waraich, Eliman Camara, and Jorey Robin.
Associated Engineering is proud to be the Lunch Day 2 Sponsor of this year’s Yukon Water & Wastewater Workshop & Trade Show taking place on October 18th and 19th in Whitehorse! Visit us at the trade show event on October 18th, we’ll be in location T6!
The iconic Baxter Bridge connects communities across the Shuswap River, southeast of Enderby, BC in the Okanagan Shuswap District. Constructed in the 1950’s, the 91 metre long bridge includes two, 30 metre, Howe Truss spans and accommodates single-lane, alternating traffic. The bridge serves several small communities, providing access for emergency vehicles, school buses, and industry. In addition, in the summer, local and international tourists are drawn to this area for the recreational water activities.
Over the past 20 years, with aging and continual deterioration, the bridge has undergone a series of repairs, resulting in intermittent bridge closures that have impacted local residents. The 70+ year old structure is nearing the end of its service life and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has scheduled the bridge for replacement with a modern and reliable structure.
In 2021, the Ministry retained Associated Engineering to conduct a detailed condition assessment of the bridge that identified extensive deterioration of multiple bridge components. For public safety, these deficiencies necessitated downrating of the bridge capacity by 50%, to a maximum gross vehicle weight of 25 tonnes, due to the deteriorating pile condition requiring critical repairs.
While necessary, this downrating significantly impacted the local community, reducing direct community access by large fire trucks, other emergency response vehicles, and milk trucks. The crossing is the primary route used by trucks delivering fresh unpasteurized milk from four Shuswap dairy farms to the milk processing facility located in Kamloops, about 120 kilometres away. Without bridge access, the detour would result in an additional 2.5 hours of travel time, and have a detrimental impact on their businesses.
Associated Engineering was tasked to design a short-term repair for the bridge to reinstate the original, posted load limit, while the preparatory activities for a future bridge replacement were undertaken. Project Manager, Julien Henley, tells us, “Closing the bridge for even a few months to facilitate extensive repairs was not an option; we needed to keep the bridge open for primary emergency services, local businesses, and school buses. Moreover, the Shuswap area has experienced several wildfires, and closing the bridge to emergency responders could have devastating consequences to the safety of the local communities.”
The team mobilized quickly after the Ministry’s notification to proceed, completing the design of the rehabilitation works within six weeks; construction was completed 16 weeks later. Julien says, “We worked closely with the Ministry Representative to support mobilization of the maintenance contractor and worked with a contractor to source and fabricate material while completing the design. Our team also completed emergency permitting. During construction, our team’s agile response addressed design changes in the field.”
The bridge’s rehabilitation preserved its iconic Howe Truss style
Structural Engineer, Natalya Kucherenko, tells us, “Our design improves the bridge’s capacity and safety, and could be implemented using intermittent closures. We developed an innovative, portal-frame, strengthening solution and completed substructure repairs to the piles and pile caps using small unpropelled barges. This approach minimized the need to work from the bridge deck and significantly reduced traffic disruptions.”
Strengthening using the U-frame allowed us to eliminate the portal bracing. Natalya says, “This repair solution addressed truss stability and prevented further deterioration of the truss system. Due to the effectiveness of the design, the Ministry is now considering adopting this solution to rehabilitate similar, aging, Howe Truss bridges in the province.”
Julien says, “The safety and water rescue crew installed a bespoke portable floating dock to facilitate works access from under the bridge. The construction process went smoothly, strictly following all safety procedures and environmental protection measures, including full-time environmental monitoring.”
To reinstate pile capacity, the construction team installed segmented, grouted, steel jackets around the existing, decayed, timber piles. The crew manually installed the segmented jackets around the pier, ensuring absolute watertightness to the assembled jacket, to prevent concrete grout from leaking, and protect the sensitive salmon habitat while salmon were spawning in the Shuswap River.
Works were carried out in small packages to shorten road closure durations. Julien shared, “Planning of the works was extremely complicated, but with comprehensive constructability and traffic management plans, and, working collaboratively with the contractor, we were able to limit closures, allow intermittent vehicle traffic, and minimize back-up along Trinity Valley Road. We also coordinated road closures to avoid impacting school buses – kids were never late for school.” Scheduled opening times were communicated in advance through the province’s DriveBC app, posted locally, and shown on changeable message signs on-site.
After completion of the works, the dock was donated to the neighbouring property and now provides public access to the river. The dock has become a local attraction for tourists and the local community, creating another legacy for the community.
The carbon footprint of the project was lowered by sourcing steel and timber from local suppliers, using a local workforce for traffic control, and utilizing local storage provided by the community. The local community appreciated the efforts of the design and construction team, which put the community’s needs and requirements at the forefront of the design considerations. Local residents were so pleased with traffic measures during construction that they regularly brought doughnuts and coffee to the construction team!
Constructed since the 1840s, today, timber Howe Truss type bridges like the Baxter Bridge have gradually been replaced by modern structures. As a result of this transition, such bridges have become increasingly rare, and greatly coveted by filmmakers drawn to their antique and historical allure. Over time, the Baxter Bridge has had its fair share of moments in the cinematic spotlight, with appearances in Hollywood productions like “Blackway” (2015) and “Tomorrowland” (2015).
The successful rehabilitation efforts have significantly prolonged the lifespan of this local landmark. This character bridge will continue to serve residents and tourists until a modern steel and concrete replacement is erected. The sentiments surrounding this historic bridge run strong; the Ministry is now inclined to preserve the original Baxter Bridge for future pedestrian and cyclist use, when the replacement bridge is constructed.
Key personnel involved on the project include Julien Henley, Natalya Kucherenko, Dale Harrison, Emma McGowan, Steven Root, Alfred Kao, Dave Hayward, and Bob Smith.
Located 70 kilometres south of Edmonton, the City of Wetaskiwin is home to approximately 13,000 people. The City operates a wastewater treatment lagoon originally constructed in 1979, which discharges treated effluent to the Battle River. In 2019, Alberta Environment and Parks, which regulates wastewater treatment facilities in Alberta, issued an approval renewal for the facility that imposed more stringent effluent limits by the end of 2023. As a result, the City retained Associated Engineering to provide design and construction engineering services to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant to meet these new effluent limits.
During the preliminary phase of the project, Associated’s project team completed a Concept Report including a flow and load design basis, a review of mechanical treatment technology options, and short-listed upgrade options examined through a multi-criteria assessment and risk evaluation. Subsequently, the team conducted a feasibility review, analyzing two treatment technologies: Submerged Attached-Growth Reactor technology and Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor technology.
Based on this review, the team prepared a Design Basis Memorandum of the proposed treatment system upgrade that included headworks, lagoons, post-lagoon Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor with nitrification and denitrification, tertiary filtration, and disinfection.
Project Manager, Daniel du Toit, tells us, “The estimated capital cost for the upgrades required to meet the new regulatory limits was significant and required external funding. Partial grant funding was received from the Alberta Government.”
The City explored alternative delivery methods, including public-private partnerships. In 2020, based on an evaluated expression of interest process, the City selected Graham Capital as a business partner to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the new wastewater treatment plant. Peace Hills Utilities Inc., a municipal-controlled utility corporation, was created, allowing the City to reduce debt and finance the project with the lowest possible rate impact on citizens. Graham Infrastructure was contracted under Peace Hills Utilities Inc. to perform the construction. Peace Hills Utilities Inc. contracted Aquatera Utilities to provide operational and maintenance services for the water and wastewater treatment infrastructure.
Following the City’s acceptance of the Design Basis Memorandum, our team began detailed design in June 2022. A collaborative work environment between Graham Infrastructure and Associated resulted in cost savings and helped expedite construction. Deputy Project Manager, Abu Waraich, says, “We developed the detailed design in collaboration with Graham. They provided input on constructability, material and equipment lead times, and schedule. Based on this input, we advanced certain components of the design to complete construction by the original December 31, 2023 deadline.”
In addition, Value Engineering Sessions led to net savings of $3.5 million. The team also conducted Building Energy Modelling to reduce the cost of building construction. They completed a 3D Scan of all existing infrastructure to facilitate integration of new infrastructure with the existing works.
Detailed design of the wastewater treatment upgrades was completed in September 2022. Construction is now scheduled for completion in mid-2024, due to equipment supply delays.
The Associated team includes Daniel du Toit, Abu Waraich, Jose Bicudo, Rony Das, Zhi Gu, Kevin Darrah, James Sharpe, Keith Ogletree, Hu Kou, Dusanka Stevanovic, Caitlin Luo, Dorte Koster, and Brett Wynnyk.
Senior Structural Engineer, Lillian Siu recalls that, as a child, she was always interested in buildings and structures. Lillian’s love of structures was inspired by family trips to Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal Studios. She shares, “I loved the magic of the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ and remembered wondering, ‘How did they build that?’ I remember declaring to my parents that in the future, I would work for Disney and be part of the magic.”
With hard work and perseverance, Lillian’s dreams came true. After completing Bachelor and Master degrees in Applied Science at UBC, Lillian went on to work for a steel fabrication company that designed and built optical telescopes and their enclosures. Designing large and complex steerable, optical/infrared telescopes enabled Lillian to build her expertise in precision structural/mechanical systems. She transferred these skills to the amusement ride industry, helping to create rides such as ET, Roger Rabbit, Test Track, and Soarin’ Over California, and fulfilling her childhood dream to create Disney magic! Lillian tells us, “I’m especially proud of our work on Soarin’ Over California, as I was the Structural Lead and Project Manager for this flight simulator ride.”
Today, as Associated’s Division Manager, Buildings Engineering, in our Vancouver office, Lillian leads a structural, mechanical, and energy engineering team focused on buildings, low carbon energy, and district energy projects. Lillian advises she is seeing a shift from traditional structural and mechanical services to sustainable and resilient buildings.
“Climate change and legislation for zero carbon and emissions reduction requires new ways of doing things. This transition includes calculating for embodied carbon, modelling energy use, and implementing low-carbon services, such as district energy, biomass, and geoexchange services. Our team is constantly developing and adapting to the emerging energy sector and the changing requirements for buildings services.”
Over three decades working in engineering, Lillian tells us that she has had the pleasure of learning from and working with some extraordinary people, including professors, engineers, technicians, and support staff. Their generosity with their time and advice provided important feedback that helped her career development
Today Lillian is giving back, as a mentor. She is a member of YWCA’s Mentoring Program for high school students interested in STEM careers. She says, “We meet regularly to explore career options. I provide guidance and advice to my mentees on post-secondary options and help them to identify the required skills and courses.” Lillian adds, “This Mentoring Program has been a fabulous experience. I started mentoring at the YWCA when my daughter was a teenager so that I could develop my ‘teen-speak’ skills. Being a mentor helped me better communicate with my daughter.”
In addition, Lillian is a mentor to a number of engineers-in-training (EITs), within and outside of Associated Engineering. She says, “Mentoring EITs allows me to share some of my lessons learned and in return, they have guided me on how to be a better communicator and coach.”
For young professionals entering consulting engineering, Lillian advises that going through a university engineering program teaches you to have an open mind and to continuously learn.
“The consulting world is so vast, as are the opportunities. My career has evolved over time. I began my career specializing in structural steel and working on structural-mechanical systems. My latest project involved building a campus on top of an existing landfill, which required the design to account for differential settlement and the effects of landfill gas on the development.”
In between, Lillian was involved with mission critical facilities, including hundreds of cell sites (Alberta SuperNet) and data centres for Telus, E-Comm 911, and the City of Vancouver. She also worked in the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors. She explains, “What you work on today may be substantially different from projects you will work on in the future. The journey may be a road less travelled rather than a straight path. It’s important to embrace opportunities, and see them as a way to expand your skills and knowledge.”
For Lillian, working on structures gives her the satisfaction that she has contributed to society. She tells us, “I feel a sense of accomplishment from being able to see and touch the buildings we design. Engineers have a direct and tangible impact on our communities and everyday life. It brings me joy to see people appreciate our efforts and the lasting legacy.”
Outside of work, Lillian describes herself as an avid foodie. She loves trying new cuisines, cooking, and baking. She also enjoys travelling. This past June, LiIlian also joined the ACEC-BC Board of Directors, on a one-year term as a Director.
The Regional Municipality of York (York Region) in Southern Ontario supplies drinking water to the City of Vaughan through the York Water System. The northeast section of Vaughan is a designated “white belt” area within York Region, accommodating provincially-approved population growth.
The existing water and wastewater systems are unable to accommodate the projected population growth. As a result, the Region established water and wastewater servicing areas to help identify the additional infrastructure needed to service the area’s anticipated needs to the year 2051.
The Northeast Vaughan water service area is located approximately from the King-Vaughan town boundary line to Teston Road and from Highway 27 to Dufferin Street. The preferred water servicing solution for this area consists of four main components:
Teston Road Pumping Station: a 33.5 million litres per day pumping station with a connection to the existing 1800 millimetre York-Peel Feedermain on Teston Road to supply water to new elevated water tanks
Jane Street Elevated Tank and Pumping Station: an 8.5 million litre elevated water storage tank and 3.8 million litre per day pumping station – a combined facility located on the same site
King Vaughan Elevated Tank: an 8.5 million litre elevated water storage tank, and
Additional watermains to provide inter-connectivity between the pumping and storage facilities.
Associated Engineering is serving as the prime consultant, delivering studies, detailed design, and construction administration services. Project Manager, Andrew Moreton, tells us, “We’ve completed a Climate Change Adaptation study for the project. The report focuses on the environmental impacts of the various components of the project, their climate resiliency, and adaptation, resilience, and mitigation measures. Recommendations included methods to reduce construction emissions, voluntary emissions and energy reporting during construction and operation, and Envision Accreditation (decision is pending).”
Work completed to-date include permits and approvals, an addendum to the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment, utility coordination, and detailed design. Pre-qualification and tendering is ongoing for sections of the overall project. Andrew tells us, “So far, we’ve encountered a few challenges, including modifications to construction to limit impact to commercial developments being built and connecting to the York-Peel Feedermain, which is the main water feed into York Region from the adjacent Region of Peel.”
As part of the Environmental Assessment Addendum, we entered into a Knowledge Exchange with Curve Lake First Nation. Andrew explains, “The project has opened up the opportunity for the Curve Lake First Nation to collaborate with the York Region on a more strategic level.”
The project also involves extensive internal and external stakeholder coordination. Andrew shares, “There are a large number of internal stakeholders within the Region, as we are constructing both facilities and linear works.” In addition, developers want to move forward with their projects. The Region has signed an advance construction agreement which accelerated the construction of two of the contracts, which has changed project delivery.
Over 100 staff from across the company are involved on this project. Key staff include Andrew Moreton, Brandon Gorr, Cian McDermott, Axel Ouillet, Thomas Siuda, Marina Vera Zambrano, Dusan Fil, David Holyer, and Paul Shi.
