SPECIAL FOCUS: COLD CLIMATES AND REMOTE LOCATIONS
Creating a safe and reliable water and wastewater infrastructure system for Fort McMurray 468 First Nation By Andrea de Vries
B
uilding cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability is foundational to any community, and the Fort McMurray 468 First Nation (FMFN) wanted to build a future that would serve community members for generations to come. In the early 2010s, FMFN undertook a series of community engagement and planning exercises to help them document and articulate their membership’s vision for the future. In 2013, they completed a Community Comprehensive Plan followed by an Economic Sustainability Master Plan (ESMP). After a year-long participatory process of data collection, research, site visits, surveys, and community engagement, the ESMP team produced a shortlist of conceptual plans for opportunities that would manifest FMFN’s vision for a vibrant future. The shortlist featured several opportunities ranging from community health and wellness centres to new commercial opportunities. Yet each of these opportunities was dependent on the final initiative on the list: reliable and safe water and wastewater infrastructure. Prior to 2023, FMFN’s water and sewage servicing was provided through an aging truck haul system. Every serviced building was constructed with both a water and a wastewater tank, and trucks would frequently fill and empty these tanks. Although well intended, the truck haul system had some quality of life drawbacks. It could be unreliable, had capacity limitations, and increased health and environmental risks due to extensive handling requirements. It was also a pervasive source of noise and smells in the community. Without a modernized system, opportunities to manifest FMFN’s vision would remain limited. So, FMFN’s leadership 30 | February 2024
New pumphouse and water reservoir facilities.
ture project in motion. McElhanney was engaged to provide civil engineering and infrastructure expertise, and to support early-stage service agreement negotiations. In collaboration with Sandrex Project Management, who served as grant co-writer, finance reporter, and community liaison, the preliminary designs of the ESMP were refined into the first full concepts of the eventual project. At the same time as FMFN was activating their early project planning stages, the neighbouring Regional Municipality BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) approached Building on the relationships forged FMFN to discuss collaboration opporin the delivery of the ESMP, FMFN and tunities for a regional wastewater systhe FMFN’s Industry & Government tem. The prospect of integrating the Relations Corporation (IGRC) set the efforts of these two projects would not early planning stages of their commu- only strengthen the existing relationnity water and wastewater infrastruc- ship between FMFN and RMWB, but
set out to provide centralized water and sewer services to their community’s more than 600 residents. Retroactively installing a centralized water and wastewater system into an existing urban area would be a challenge, but the generational benefits would be worthwhile. Most importantly, the project’s success would require partnership. Innovative, multi-jurisdictional relationships had to be established to manage immediate project needs and champion long-term community interests.
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine