Canadian Consulting Engineer JuneJuly 2013

For professional engineers in private practice

JUNE/JULY 2013

CLEANING UP Steel’s Legacy at the Sydney Tar Ponds Canada’s New Environmental Assessment Rules Sewage Pipe W12 in Edmonton

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contents

June/July 2013 Volume 54, No. 4

Cover: Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens site in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Photo, Sydney Tar Ponds Agency. See story p. 12

Biomass Plant in Ajax.

See story p. 29

departments Comment 4 Up Front

6

Products 36 Advertiser Index

features Steel’s Legacy Contained. The remediation of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens site in Sydney, Nova Scotia, finally takes care of one of the worst industrially contaminated sites in the country.

By Alan Van Norman, P.Eng., CRA

12

The New EA Process. Sweeping changes have been made to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

By Joanna Vince, Willms & Shier LLP

18

Edmonton’s W12. A diversion tunnel below the North Saskatchewan River has drastically reduced the problem of combined sewer overflows.

By Jeff King, SMA Consulting

21

A Dam Megaproject. BC Hydro launches a $940-million project at the John Hart Hydroelectric Plant.

By Jean Sorensen

25

Beyond Accounting. Advice for sole practitioners and smaller firms investing in new software.

By Kelly Kolke, Grant Thornton LLP

28

Biomass Plant in Ajax. A WWII era coal-fired steam plant becomes a biomass cogeneration project that feeds on waste wood from demolition.

By James Gillis, Doherty Engineering

29

on topic

37

Next issue: BIM & energy modelling; Bridgepoint hospital; SAIT in Calgary; structural fiasco in Elliot Lake.

ENGINEERS & THE LAW Don’t Get Into Hot Water.

Potash solution mines have special liability risks for engineers.

By Chad Eggerman, Miller Thomson LLP 32

June/July 2013

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CONVERSATIONS Mentors and Adventures.

How young engineers can improve their chances of rising to the top of their firms. An interview with Bruce Bodden, P.Eng. 38

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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engineer FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE

comment

C A N A D I A N C O N S U LT I N G

Dazed and confused by the new EA rules

Editor

Bronwen Parsons E-mail: bparsons@ccemag.com (416) 510-5119

J

oanne Vince, an environmental lawyer, warns on page 20: “Don’t be fooled” by the fact that the 2012 Canadian Environmental Assessment Act has a similar name to its predecessor. With the new law that came into effect last July, the federal government brought in sweeping changes to how it controls the environmental impact of construction projects that fall under its jurisdiction.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is still tinkering with the list of project types that will or will not require an environmental assessment. So far, according to an article published in the Gazette on April 20, it’s an odd list.

Excluded are large industrial operations, such as potash mines, pulp and paper plants, chemical manufacturers and groundwater extraction facilities. Not exactly what you would call squeaky clean operations.

Meanwhile the government has added projects such as diamond mines, railway yards, international and interprovincial bridges and tunnels, and offshore exploratory wells.

For oil sands mines it’s more complex. In one paragraph the list includes “expansions to oil sands mines.” In the next point it excludes “heavy and oil sands processing facilities.”

What does it all mean for consulting engineers? First it means trying to find your way in the new rules. Vince’s article lays out some of the groundwork, but until several projects have actually gone through the process, we’ll be stumbling around in the twilight.

To start with, depending on who are your clients and what types of project you work with, you may find they no longer require a federal environmental assessment because a provincial assessment will suffice.

Your clients may be happy about this, but environmental groups are not. They say that environmental assessments will apply to “fewer and fewer” projects.

And Richard Lindgren of the Canadian Environmental Law Association says: “I take no comfort from the fact that there’s a possibility that some projects might get picked up by a provincial environmental assessment.” He argues that the provincial and territorial regimes vary considerably, and that there are “lots of gaps and loopholes.” For example, Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act is rarely applied to private sector projects.

The Canadian government says its intention is to focus on “major projects that have the greatest potential for significant adverse environmental effects in areas of federal jurisdiction.” In other words, it is only interested in the large projects. For this it has taken an approach of applying “thresholds” to ensure that only projects of a certain size are captured. For example, it lists as designated for a review the construction of a metal mine with a production capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes a day, or the expansion of a metal mine by 50% to a total capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes a day.

But environmental groups point out that small and medium-size projects can create indirect and cumulative environmental effects. They are also concerned that proponents may design a project at a capacity just below the threshold in order to get it in under the wire.

Lindgren calls the government’s list of designated projects “baffling” while the Harper government strives to create rules that have “clarity.” And no doubt both sides sincerely believe they are acting in the best interests of Canadians. In the middle are the rest of us: confused and baffled in our own way about how all

Bronwen Parsons

this should work out.

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Senior Publisher

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June/July 2013

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University of Windsor

up front

H C

INFRASTRUCTURE

Temporary causeway to Ile des Soeurs The federal government and Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridge Corporation have issued a call for tenders to construct a new temporary causeway between Ile des Soeurs and the Island of Montreal.

The temporary structure is “an important first step” in the project to construct a new bridge acrosss the St. Lawrence in place of the busy Champlain Bridge that carries $20 billion a year in international traffic.

Genivar (now WSP) did the design and environmental studies for the causeway. It will be partly on vacant land and will have two pillars in the water.

Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation, University of Windsor.

Windsor University brings engineering to life The University of Windsor officially opened its new Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation on June 4. Like many of the engineering buildings recently built on Canadian campuses, the centre is a living laboratory to demonstrate to its 1,400+ students how buildings are constructed and how their systems might operate sustainably.

Mehrdad Saif, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, explains: “In the classroom [the students] are learning engineering and construction theory and just a quick walk-through of the building itself puts those theories into real life examples that they can experience and put into context.”

The 80 teaching and research laboratories include a unique “iDesign” studio and “iFactory” manufacturing lab that can be reconfigured, as can the 350-seat auditorium. An “industrial courtyard” provides for joint industry and academic research.

The $112-million, 91,000-sq. m complex is the largest capital investment in the southwestern Ontario university’s history.

Halsall Associates (Fernando Cruz) were the structural engineers, while Smith & Andersen and Crossey Engineering were the mechanical and 6

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electrical consultants. Architect is B + H, and PCR is the contractor.

PROFESSION

OIQ hopes to restore trust in engineering firms The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the province’s licensing body for engineers, has launched a new regime to audit companies’ business practices and put ethics front and centre.

OIQ

BUILDINGS

Daniel Lebel, ing. (right), president of OIQ, announcing its new audit program for engineering companies on May 28 in Montreal.

The reputation and prestige of engineering companies in Quebec has been battered after several companies have been implicated in illegal activities.

Many of the allegations of bid-rigging, etc. surfaced in the Charbonneau Commission of Inquiry, but there have also been actual arrests made by the RCMP. The audit program is voluntary, but

RESEARCH

IRC becomes “Construction Portfolio” In May the National Research Council of Canada announced it has refocused its mandate to be working more directly with Canadian private industry.

The NRC’s Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) is one part of the NRC campus of offices and laboratories in Ottawa and for decades has been a leading source of information on new technologies for infrastructure and buildings. It is now part of the “Construction Portfolio,” one of 12 NRC industry sectors.

continued on page 8

June/July 2013

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up front

continued from page 6

OIQ says: “compliance with the initiative could be a significant factor in the rehabilitation of these firms with those who provide them with work.” It also suggests that complying with the program might help companies that have been disqualified from bidding on public contracts to be reinstated.

OIQ president Daniel Lebel, ing. announced the new program at a meeting on May 28 attended by senior managers from consulting engineering firms. The audits will include examining a company’s business development practices, including their practices for obtaining contracts, for lobbying, and for bidding on tenders.

“The mission of the OIQ is to protect the public interest and to guarantee professionalism among its members,” said Lebel. “We will use our resources in every possible way to ensure that our members, and the firms that employ them, adopt professional practices and conduct that will set a good example and once again render them worthy of public trust.”

TRANSPORTATION

Calgary International builds longest runway At Calgary International Airport a runway 14,000 feet long is being constructed, making it the longest civil aviation runway in Canada and providing the ability for larger aircrafts like the Airbus A380 to take off and land. Currently, the longest runway in North

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America is in Denver at 16,000 feet.

Prime consultant on the project is Associated Engineering, with CH2M HILL as subconsultant for the design of the runway and its peripherals such as lighting, navigational aids and the electrical systems. As well, CH2M HILL prepared a preliminary design

ENERGY

Prophets on the U.S. shale gas boom Quote: “‘North America has set off a supply shock that is sending ripples throughout the world,’ declared Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the International Energy

Tunnel under construction below a runway at Calgary International Airport.

for a central de-icing facility and is providing contract administration and construction inspection services.

CH2M (Josh Bolderheij and Ken McWhinnie) is also designing a new $295-million, 620-m long “Airport Trail” tunnel for the City of Calgary that passes directly below the new runway. On this project Associated Engineering is civil, mechanical and electrical subconsultant, and Thurber is doing geotechnical work.

The runway and tunnel are to be completed by May 2014.

Agency (IA), which, in May, issued a prediction that America’s oil and gas boom ‘will be as transformative to the market over the next five years as was the rise of Chinese demand over the last 15.’” -- From “The Golden Age of Gas,” by Tamsin McMahon, Maclean’s, June 10, 2013, about how hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling technologies are unleashing huge sources of shale oil and gas that are enough to power America for nearly a century. continued on page 10

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Bleed

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up front

continued from page 8

Live

not to executives in the management committee groups or in the office of the president.

HVAC

Canada’s own ENERGY STAR Natural Resources Canada is launching a new ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in July. The online tool is used for benchmarking buildings’ energy performance against each other.

NRCan has been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tailor the U.S. tool for Canadian users, so that they can use data from Canadian buildings for comparison.

ENVIRONMENT

CFCs to blame for global warming?

A report by a University of Waterloo professor claims that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) conspiring with cosmic rays are responsible for most global warming since the 1970s, not carbon dioxide emissions.

Professor Qing-Bin Lu of the Faculty of Science makes his case in a peer reviewed paper published May 30 in the International Journal of Modern Physics. He argues: “Conventional thinking says that the emission of human-made non-CFC gases such as carbon dioxide has mainly contributed to global warming. But we have observed data going back to the Industrial Revolution that convincingly shows that conventional

COMPANIES

SNC-Lavalin invites whistleblowers On May 27 SNC-Lavalin announced a program to allow its current employees to report any potential corruption matters they know are occurring in the firm without fear of reprisals.

The amnesty lasts for 90 days between June 3 and August 31, 2013. It applies to any current employees, but

understanding is wrong. In fact, the data shows that CFCs conspiring with cosmic rays caused both the polar ozone hole and global warming.”

Lu’s paper includes a graph that predicts global temperatures will continue a decline that began in 2002. He says the decline is due to the depletion of CFCs in the atmosphere in recent years.

One commentator, quoted in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s News in Science, said that Lu’s theory is either a “landmark study” or “completely wrong.”

CORRECTION

Nova Scotia Power HQ In the article about the Nova Scotia Power Headquarters (CCE May 2013, page 20), the last sentence should have said the retrofits will save an estimated $650,000 in utility bills over 10 years, not $650,000 per year.

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environmental remediation

STEEL’S LEGACY CONTAINED Sydney Tar Ponds Agency

Remediation of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site in Sydney, Nova Scotia

Above: site nearing completion of remediation in 2012. The larger waterway winding through the site is the new Muggah Creek Channel.

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June/July 2013

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environmental remediation

BY ALAN VAN NORMAN, P.ENG., CRA

One of the largest and most industrially polluted sites in Canada is finally cleaned up. Here’s the story of how engineers helped to deal with a toxic soup of sludge that has beleaguered a small town for decades.

T

STPA

he former Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens sites After the coke plant shut down, numerous abandoned resulted from a century of steel-making in the heart buildings, open pits, large smoke stacks, storage tanks, asof downtown Sydney, Nova Scotia. From the turn of bestos debris, service tunnels and piles of coal, coke and the last century until 1988 when the coke plant shut sulphur remained. Under the site a maze of abandoned down, the lands were subjected to a barrage of contami- sewers, process and coke oven gas lines was left in place. nants. Present on the site were heavy metals, polychloriThe nuisance of the abandoned facility and by-prodnated biphenyls (PCBs) and coal tar — a mixture of ben- ucts, legacy contaminants and unsafe physical conditions zene, xylene, toluene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocar- led to the pressing need for remedial action. The quantity bons (PAHs). These chemicals of materials with concentramigrated downstream to the tions exceeding risk based siteMuggah Creek estuary via the specific target levels remaining Coke Ovens Brook where they on the Coke Ovens site was estiformed a tar-like sediment up mated to be 1,300,000 tonnes. to 6 metres thick. As a result, the estuary became known as The Clean Up Trail the Tar Ponds.

Sydney (population 9,000 in As well, Coke Ovens Brook 1901, now 3,200) had develand nearby Wash Brook drain a oped around the steel mill and 22.5 square kilometre urban the adjacent coke plant. Resiwatershed that conveyed comdential, commercial and transbined sewage to the Tar Ponds portation infrastructure literally until 2002 when an interceptor Above: site during steel-making era, which lasted took root at the plant boundarsystem and treatment plant for almost a century until 1988. ies. Even after the steel works were installed. Slag, a relatively inert steel plant by-product, closed, the site continued to release tar-like byproducts into was also deposited into the estuary, effectively moving the Coke Oven Brook, and at low tide, tar and sewage odours northeast shoreline up to 800 metres southwest. from the tar ponds were noticeable in the adjacent downThe combined North and South Tar Ponds covered an town commercial and residential neighbourhoods. area of approximately 31 hectares and contained approxiIn 1982 Fisheries and Oceans Canada found PAHs from mately 650,000 tonnes of impacted sediments. the tar ponds in Sydney Harbour lobsters, which led to the To the east, the adjacent Coke Ovens Site covers ap- shutdown of the lobster fishery in the South Arm of Sydney proximately 68 hectares. Long batteries of steel frame ovens Harbour. The commercial fishery remains closed to this day. lined with refractory brick processed coal into metallurgical In 1986, Canada and Nova Scotia signed a $34-million coke. Rail tracks ran across the site to transport coal to the agreement to dredge the tar ponds and pump the sediovens, and coke from the ovens to the steel mill. A coal-tar ments through a mile-long pipeline to a fluidized bed incinerator and power plant. The incinerator was completed and refining plant operated adjacent to the site. continued on page 14 June/July 2013

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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continued from page 13

CRA

STPA

environmental remediation

Above: historical view of homes at the edge of the tar ponds.

Right: site plan. The site is located on the Muggah Creek estuary on the east coast of Cape Breton.

passed required air emissions tests in 1994, but the pipeline system proved unable to handle the thick, lumpy, debrisladen sediment. It was also discovered that some of the sediments contained PCB’s that the incinerator was not approved to burn and the project was terminated in 1995.

A second clean-up option was explored in 1996 when Nova Scotia discussed a plan to bury the tar ponds under steel plant slag. By this time the project had attracted local and national public interest. With their concerns about being exposed to contaminants and long term environmental consequences, the local public insisted on having a voice in the development and evaluation of the clean-up.

In 1999, a community organization, the Joint Action Group (JAG) with a mandate to seek community consensus on the clean-up options was founded and our company, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA), was retained by Nova Scotia as the project management consultant. We provided technical leadership, project management, and guided the consultative process. JAG held more than 1,000 public meetings. People expressed a strong preference to use proven technology, but it was not possible to determine a clear consensus on the preferred clean-up technologies.

Two years later, the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency was formed by the Government of Nova Scotia to manage the current remediation effort. Around this time, the remaining coke 14

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oven structures were demolished, the adjacent municipal landfill was capped, and surface drainage improvements were made to divert water away from contaminated portions of the site. An interceptor sewer system was constructed to divert raw sewage away from the tar ponds.

By May 2004 the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia had announced a 10-year plan to clean up the site at a cost of up to $400 million. A remedial action evaluation report (RAER) had been conceived by a consortium of consulting engineering companies that included Jacques Whitford, Dillon, ADI and CBCL (JDAC). They recommended solidification/stabilization as the primary tar ponds treatment technology, with incineration of tar ponds sediments that contained PCBs. The Coke Ovens contaminated materials would be managed in place, with groundwater collection and treatment used to protect realigned and lined surface water channels. An independent Joint Review Panel held under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act held during April and May 2006 determined that incineration would be dropped from the plan. Otherwise, the RAER conceptual remedial plan is the one that has been implemented.

Remedial Action - Solidification, Stabilization and Coping with Surface Water The preliminary remediation work had included the rerouting of surface water around the Coke Ovens Site and

June/July 2013

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environmental remediation

2013 AHR EXPO INNOVATION

the construction of a rock barrier at Battery Point, the boundary between the Tar Ponds and Sydney Harbour.

The primary remedial action at the Tar Ponds themselves was solidification and stabilization of the sediment with cement powder. The entire contents of the ponds were thoroughly mixed with cement powder in-situ, using either a large track hoe or a specialized mixing auger mounted on a track hoe. The sediments reached 6 metres down and were mixed in cells that varied between 150 and 300 cubic metres. Depending on the sediment’s water content, each cell received one truck load of cement powder of approximately 35 tonnes. Steel mill slag was added to some solidification/stabilization cells to improve the mix performance at specific locations. Each cell was typically built adjacent to a previously mixed cell, with production varying between 4 and 14 cells per day depending on the work area logistics and cement availability. Sediments from Coke Ovens Brook and its connector were transferred and incorporated into the Tar Ponds mix.

The resulting monolith has a thickness that varies from approximately 2 to 6 metres. The solidified material had to meet a minimum unconfined compressive strength of 0.17 MPa, a maximum permeability of 1x10-6 cm/s, and a maximum site specific leachate criteria for numerous contaminants before being accepted as complete.

With Coke Ovens Brook and Muggah Creek, two major urban water shed surface drains, crossing the work area, temporary dams and pumps had to be put in place for three years to allow the solidification and stabilization activities to be performed under dewatered conditions. A new Muggah Creek Channel lined with armor stone was constructed in the solidified sediment. Measuring up to 20 metres wide and 2 kilometres long, this new channel now conveys upstream urban runoff surface water through the remediated site, while accommodating the influence of ocean tides on the flow.

The stabilized tar pond sediment is being protected with a low permeable soil cap consisting of a vegetated layer over a 1.1 metre thick cohesive soil that has a maximum permeability of 1 x10-6 cm/second. It overlays a geosynthetic drainage layer.

The old Ferry Street Bridge that provided access to the steel mill across Muggah Creek has been replaced with an eloquent new 33-m precast concrete girder structure. The new bridge provides a valuable new public road link between downtown Sydney and Whitney Pier, east of the former steel mill.

On the former Coke Ovens site the remedial action included injecting cement grout into abandoned underground sewer, process and gas lines in order to prevent them conveying impacted groundwater to nearby Coke Ovens Brook. The brook was rerouted, a pipe and media groundwater collection system was installed, and a groundwater treatment plant was constructed. An engineered low permeable soil covers the entire site.

When finished, the remediated Coke Ovens site will permit commercial development, although it will be subject to covenant restrictions on the type of foundations that can be used and the depth of new utilities.

A New Vital Public Space The once contaminated marine estuary and former coke ovens are now remediated and the land will be transferred to the Province of Nova Scotia to maintain and monitor for a minimum of 25 years. A public celebration is being planned by the Province of Nova Scotia to mark the completion of the project and the opening of the new park on Labour Day weekend this year.

The lands now include public space with walkways along the new channels and an outdoor amphitheater. As part of the project’s “Future Use” plan there will be permanent art exhibits, a children’s playground, sports fields, concession and washroom facilities, and parking. Final construction work on these amenities is expected to be complete in the fall

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environmental remediation

continued from page 15

of 2013, ahead of the March 2014 conclusion of the Canada-Nova Scotia cost share agreement.

Long Time to Complete It has been suggested that the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens remediation project has taken a very long time to complete. There are many complex reasons, but in short, as this was one of Canada’s first major environmental cleanup projects, a long learning curve was required before there was sufficient information about the problem to justify committing tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to develop the appropriate remediation approach.

The extensive public participation added to the timeline, but this was a major contributor to the project’s success and was necessary after two successive clean-up attempts had not been fully successful. Once the May 2004 memorandum of agreement between Canada and Nova Scotia occurred, the design and construction of the remedial action progressed as rapidly as possible while remaining consistent with fiscal responsibility for the public purse.

With multiple work activities taking place on the project simultaneously, one of the greatest challenges was coordinating the efforts of the many entities (consultants, contractors, regulators, etc.). In this, the governance model put in place by the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia which included having an independent engineer was critical to the project’s success. As Canadians are faced with more large scale remediation projects, it is imperative that the lessons learned from the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens be carefully analyzed and employed on fuCCE ture projects.

Alan Van Norman, P.Eng. is vice-president with CRA based in Waterloo, Ontario, He is project director for CRA on the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens site remediation project.

Client-owner: Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal /Public Works & Government Services Canada Project manager, 2000-2003 & Independent engineer for owner, 2005-present: CRA (Alan Van Norman, P.Eng., Jeroen Winterink, P.Eng., Holly Sampson, P.Eng., Hilary Fitzgerald)

Detail design engineer, construction oversight, final clean-up: AECOM (Bruce Noble, P.Eng.). 2006 environmental assessment: AMEC . Other key players: Dillon (env. monitoring); Stantec (quality assurance/design engineer for Future Site Use project); All-Tech (air monitoring); exp (quality control, construction).

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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environment

BY JOANNA VINCE, WILLMS & SHIER ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYERS LLP

The federal government has made drastic changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act — changes that will have a major impact on your clients' projects.

The New EA P

©iStockphoto/Thinkstock

T

he Canadian Government has made sweeping changes to its environmental statutes and regulations. For consultants it is important to understand these changes and how they affect your clients.

Changing legislation means changing your advice.

In 2012, Parliament repealed the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and replaced it with a brand new statute, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). Don’t be fooled by the similar name. There are major changes that will affect: • whether your client must conduct an environmental assessment (“EA”) • what environmental effects must be assessed • how long it will take to complete an EA • your clients’ business after the EA is complete, and • how to engage Aboriginal communities.

CEAA 2012 is now in force.

Before answering these questions consider another major change. Under the previous CEAA, the department, ministry or agency conducting the project, or granting funding or approvals, oversaw the environmental assessment. Now the responsibility and authority have been centralized.

• Three agencies have been given responsibility for environmental assessments: • the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency • the National Energy Board • the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Simply put, other than for pipelines or nuclear undertakings, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency will oversee the EA.

18

What’s In and What’s Out The old system of triggers is gone. A project that is on federal land, that receives federal money, or that requires a federal approval, will not necessarily require an EA. For example, projects that formerly required an EA because of a Fisheries Act approval may no longer be caught.

Environmental assessments will now only be required for those projects listed in the Regulations Designating Physical Activities under CEAA 2012. This means that only major projects will now be caught. The list includes mines, large hydro projects and quarries.

Currently projects listed are those that formerly appeared on the Comprehensive Study List under the old CEAA. However, this use of the old list may not fit with the new purpose of the regulation – to catch those projects (and only those projects) with the greatest environmental impact. The Comprehensive Study List included low thresholds for mines, quarries and similar projects since only a small number would require an EA. Now, however, even small mining and quarry projects will require an EA. But the list of designated projects is far from final. On April 20 the government posted a draft amending regulation. According to Environment Canada: "The physical ac-

tivities identified in the current Regulations do not appropriately reflect the major projects that have the greatest potential to cause significant adverse environmental effects in areas of federal jurisdiction. Currently, some types of major projects that are considered to have a high potential for such effects are not covered by the Regulations. Conversely, some projects that are currently covered by the Regulations are consid-

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green buildings

A Process

ered to have a low potential for significant adverse environmental effects in areas of federal jurisdiction."

Under CEAA 2012, the Minister may designate specific projects to be subject to an EA where there are potential environmental effects on matters under federal jurisdiction. or where public concerns are expressed.

Projects on certain federal lands that are not listed in the regulations will be required to undergo an assessment process outside of the CEAA 2012 process.

The assessment will be run by the relevant authority. For example a project in a national park will require an assessment process overseen by Parks Canada.

Provincial environmental legal requirements that applied prior to CEAA 2012, including provincial environmental assessments and approvals for discharges to air and water, will continue to apply.

Project Description – the Off-Ramp If your client’s project is on the designated project list, it must initiate the process under CEAA 2012, but it may not be required to conduct an EA. The first step for a designated project overseen by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is to submit a project description. Based on this project description, the agency will decide if an EA is required. The public can provide comments based on the project description.

The agency will consider the project description and public comments to decide if an EA is required. If it decides an EA is not required, no further actions are required by the proponent.

This “off-ramp” is only available for projects that fall under review by the agency. Projects that are under the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission or the National Energy Board must complete an EA. Environmental Effects More Narrowly Defined Previously, the definition of environmental effects was very broad. Once an environmental assessment was triggered, the entire project was reviewed and all envicontinued on page 20 June/July 2013

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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environment

continued from page 19

ronmental effects were considered.

Under CEAA 2012, “environmental effects” have been narrowly defined. They include only those aspects of the environment under federal jurisdiction – fish, migratory birds and aquatic species. Traditional knowledge must be considered. But broader areas of the environment, for example air emissions, are no longer considered.

The narrowing of the scope of CEAA should reduce the time and work required to complete an environmental assessment. However, it may result in more judicial reviews and more difficult public and Aboriginal consultations.

Once the proponent has submitted a project description, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has 45 days to decide if an EA will be required. This includes a 20 day period for public comment. If the agency decides an EA is required, the remainder of the process from commencement to final decision must be completed in 365 days.

The timelines are “paused” where the agency requests further information from the proponent. The clock does not start ticking again until the agency is satisfied it has all the required information. Keep this in mind when discussing timelines and deadlines with your client.

Timelines: When is a Year More than a Year?

CEAA 2012 includes timelines for completion of each stage of the process.

Decision Statements, Conditions and Penalties When the Agency has overseen the EA, a decision statement is issued by

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Duty to Consult Aboriginal Communities Whenever there is a government action, for example, issuing a permit that will impact an Aboriginal right or title, the Crown (federal and/or provincial government) has a duty to consult with the Aboriginal communities. The Crown can delegate the procedural aspects of that duty to a proponent. The previous Act provided a framework for consultation, but with fewer projects now required to perform an EA under CEAA 2012, this framework may be absent. Proponents and Aboriginal communities are asking questions such as “who, how and when?” For example, a permit to harm an Aboriginal fishery will trigger a duty to consult, but without the need to complete an EA, parties are left wondering how they proceed. CCE Joanna Vince is an associate at Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP in Toronto. E-mail jvince@willmsshier. com. This is an adapted version of a presentation she made at the Environmental Liability Seminar held by EcoLog Environmental Legislative Service in Toronto on April 9, 2013.

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the Minister of the Environment following completion of the EA process.

The decision statement includes any conditions of project approval. Conditions may include mitigation measures and follow up programs. In fact, follow up programs will likely be required in every EA approval.

The conditions set out in the decision statement are enforceable. Federal inspectors will have the authority to examine whether or not the conditions are met, and any proponents that fail to comply could face penalties ranging from $100,000 to $400,000. There are also administrative monetary penalties for less serious contraventions.

CEAA 2012 also provides for fines where a proponent begins a designated project without first submitting a project description.

June/July 2013

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stormwater

By Jeff King, SMA Consulting

Over 2 billion litres of combined sewer overflows were entering the North Saskatchewan River in downtown Edmonton. Now, a complex diversion tunnel project has succeeded in drastically reducing the spills.

Edmonton’s W12 SMA

L

ike many cities built during the pre-WWII era, Edmonton relies in part on combined sewers for its stormwater and sanitary drainage.

Until recently, overflow from these combined sewers discharged into the North Saskatchewan River at an average rate of 2.1 billion litres a year. Not only did this situation strain the city’s invaluable river valley resource, which includes the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America, but also it threatened the quality of the water supply for Edmonton neighbourhoods and other communities downstream.

One of the five fundamental principles guiding the city of Edmonton’s Drainage Services is to “maximize environmental protection.” In addition, Alberta Environment’s policies and procedures require combined sewer overflow (CSO) control. To meet these needs, the city developed a CSO control strategy and began implementing it in 2000. The objective of this $150-million (1999 dollars) strategy is to provide a cost-effective plan that will mitigate the environmental impacts of the city’s CSOs and reduce the spillage of untreated runoff and sewage to the North Saskatchewan River.

The program is also expected to increase the average annual volume of captured and treated wet weather flows from 56% to 86% and to reduce the average annual CSO events from 89 to 46. The control strategy includes a number of components: enhanced primary treatment, real time control gates, opportunistic sewer separation, weir structure modifications, and construction of the W12 tunnel as part of the West Edmonton Sanitary Sewer (WESS) system.

Above: real time control structure. 3D and 4D models helped narrow the options for its design.

Targeting overflow weirs The WESS W12 project is part of the city’s plan to target major overflow weir structures, in this case the Rat Creek outfall, which is near downtown Edmonton. The outfall was responsible for 60-80% of the annual CSOs. Completed last year, the W12 syphon redirects flow from a combined sewer, sending it under the North Saskatchewan River and south to an

existing sewer trunk. This carries it finally to the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment plant 4 kilometres east.

Flows into the syphon barrel from the existing combined sewer are controlled by a sophisticated real time control (RTC) structure that opens and closes the gates according to the drainage conditions and the sewer system’s state. The RTC structure consists of two control gates and a divercontinued on page 22 June/July 2013

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stormwater

continued from page 23

Above: descending a shaft to the tunnel. Most of the project is situated 75 metres below downtown Edmonton, within the footprint of abandoned coal mines.

sion gate, with shafts and an operations facility installed at an empty lot at the top of the ravine, just uphill from the Rat Creek outfall.

Using real-time measurements and operational algorithms, the RTC system dynamically manages the flow rate, improving system performance dramatically. The W12 was expected to reduce CSOs from the Rat Creek outfall by up to 80%, but so far it has exceeded that figure.

Construction below downtown Edmonton The project presented extensive design and construction challenges. The majority of the work took place 75 metres below downtown Edmonton.

In the footprint of abandoned coal mines, five shafts needed to be constructed, along with a 1.2-km, 2500mm tunnel deep enough to pass beneath the North Saskatchewan River.

Coal seams, water pockets, sub-surface

voids, and methane gas under pressure all posed potential risks.

Designing and constructing the RTC structure was complex as it involved tying into a pipe whose flow could not be redirected and which was very fast even during dry weather (3.7m3/s). Finally, the central location of the tunnel’s operations facility demanded careful odour control, while the tunnel construction itself, located beneath the downtown core and river valley, required high environmental standards.

The City of Edmonton’s Drainage Services brought in Associated Engineering (AE) to design the tunnel and SMA Consulting to provide decision support and help identify the best possible construction delivery scenario.

AE provided the preliminary design services for the project and for integrating the tunnel into the existing drainage network. Several innovative techniques informed their work, including advanced hydraulic and particle models, computational fluid dynamics, and air and odour modelling.

The project team developed a unique collaborative design process involving interactive workshops, risk analysis and management studies. We used 3D and 4D [3D + time] visualiza-

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June/July 2013

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stormwater

Above: project overview. In total five shafts were constructed along with a 1.2-km tunnel.

tion, construction simulation, and constructability reviews. SMA provided this dimension of the project as well as overseeing project controls and productivity analysis.

AE and SMA identified several cost and time-saving solutions. A grit analysis by AE showed that a $7-million pump station proposed in the original design could be eliminated as a result of the scouring action of the high flow through the pipes.

Simulation modeling undertaken

by SMA, including risk and cost-benefit analysis, helped to identify that the best scenario was two-way tunneling, and that the best choice for tunnel secondary liners in terms of value, schedule, maintenance, efficiency, and constructability were HOBAS pipes.

A constructability review using advanced 3D and 4D visualization narrowed down the options for the RTC structure’s configuration from five to one, accounting for value, ease of construction, and risk.

Another unique cost-saving measure involved purchasing a lot near the construction site. Building the shafts on this lot helped to ease the flow of pedestrians and traffic around the site and made it possible to avoid utilities. The lot also provides a site for operational facilities and above ground housing for the odour and gate control.

Care was taken to avoid disturbing the fragile river valley environment, including by barging equipment across the river and limiting construc-

p21-24 CCE June13 WestEdmonSewer.indd 23

tion traffic to existing access roads and trails. The lay down site itself was situated in a pre-disturbed area; once the work was completed, the site was extensively re-landscaped into a park.

The project’s success has exceeded preliminary targets by a wide margin.

A reduction in Rat Creek CSO events from 49 per year to fewer than 10 would be considered a great achievement. Yet, in the first year alone, the project reduced CSOs from the Rat Creek outfall to one event — a 98% reduction. Not only has this improved water quality, but also it has resulted in improved aquatic habitats and far less odour and corrosion at Rat Creek.

Besides addressing and improving environmental and socio-economic conditions, the project provides newer neighbourhoods in the northwest with sanitary and stormwater services, supporting Edmonton’s skyrocketing growth and economic progress. All-inall, this collaboration between the city of Edmonton, SMA and AE has resulted in more robust and reliable infrastructure for Edmonton’s citizens. CCE

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Jeff King, M.A., is a facilitator and analyst at SMA Consulting in Edmonton.

Client-owner: City of Edmonton Prime consultants: Associated Engineering and SMA Consulting Tunnel design: Associated Engineering (Herb Kuehne, P.Eng.) Decision support: SMA Consulting (Hussien Al-Battaineh, P.Eng., Mohammed Al-Bataineh, P.Eng.)

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13-06-12 11:50 AM

water resources

A DAM MEGAPROJECT BC Hydro has launched a $940-million project to replace the generating station and intakes at the John Hart Hydroelectric Plant on Vancouver Island. The successful design-build team will have to put up 60% of the cost and will be repaid based on how well the new works perform.

BY JEAN SORENSEN

Above: the current generating station on the Campbell River. Preliminary plans locate a replacement 128-MW plant beside it.

T

he design efficiency of the $940-million John Hart Generating Station Replacement project near Campbell River on Vancouver Island will play a critical role in the payback for whichever winning team is selected to do the design-bid-build-rehabilitation (DBBR) project for BC Hydro.

Under the terms of the DBBR project, the successful team

BC Hydro

– to be chosen by late summer 2013 – will shoulder the bulk of the financial cost. “We will supply 40 per cent of the financing,” says BC Hydro spokesperson Stephen Watson. The other 60 per cent will be repaid over a 15-year period to the selected DBBR consortium. Like many private public partnership-type deals, payment hinges upon certain performance standards. continued on page 26 June/July 2013

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continued from page 25

BC Hydro employees will maintain and operate the facility.

“This is the first time we have carried out this type of procurement model,” says Watson, adding that Partnerships BC is helping with the procurement process. Since BC Hydro has modified the P3 model it is not terming it a P3 project.

Private-public partnerships are becoming increasingly complex and varied with no one model existing today, says Keith Sashaw, president of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-B.C. “This sounds like a variation on a theme.”

BC Hydro’s engineers and legal staff determined the performance standards that have to be met, explains Watson, but they had support from private consulting engineering firms.

Hemmera served as environmental consultants while Golder Associates provided geo-technical support.

The winning DBBR team will also have the distinction of undertaking the largest capital project, by dollar value, that the power corporation has submitted to date for approval to the BC Utilities Commission.

Bringing it up to standard The original John Hart generating station was built in 1946 to 1953 and is located six kilometres west of the town of Campbell River. About 95 per cent of the lower Campbell River flows through the generating station.

The generating station is located at the head of the Canyon View Trail, a six-kilometre canyon hike that draws 75,000 trekkers annually. The Campbell River system is a popular camping, fishing, and picnic area, while the BC Hydro area shoulders onto Elk Falls Provincial Park.

The 750-metre long dam and the reservoir are located two kilometres west of the generating station. The dam is an earthfill construction with a concrete spillway and intake.

The replacement project will bring the generating station site up to new seismic standards, replace the six 21 MW units that have combined capacity 26

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p25-27 CCE June13 JohnHart.indd 26

BC Hydro

water resources

Above: the retrofit will replace the above-ground pipes that convey water from the dam to the generating station with a single 2.1-km. underground tunnel.

of 126 MW but are operating at 121 MW and declining, and ensure there is adequate water flow into the Campbell River, an important salmon river. The Hart, Strathcona and Ladore stations on the Campbell River system together generate about 10-20% of the electricity demand for Vancouver Island.

The first component of the project is the water conveyance system. It will replace the existing three 1.8-kilometre long pipelines that run between the dam and the station with a single 2.1 kilometre, 6.5-8 metre diameter tunnel.

Watson says that the decision to replace the three above-ground pipelines with an underground tunnel was made after the financial cost of upgrading the pipelines to seismic standards matched the cost of boring a tunnel. “The pipelines are sitting on soils that would liquefy in an earthquake,” he says. “It was a better alternative to go through rock.”

The new intake will be located at the dam’s concrete spillway area and directed down 60-metres into bedrock where it joins the tunnel carrying water back to the generating station.

The intake is 300 metres from the existing pipes. Watson says the relocation of the intake to the spillway area was because this area of the dam sits on bedrock, whereas the rest of the dam has soils to penetrate before hitting bedrock. “There is no exposed

bedrock anywhere else. It was the logical place,” he says. The 60-metre drop in elevation will help water flow back to the generating station.

The existing surge towers could be retained or removed, depending on the water conveyance design for the tunnel.

The second component of the project is a new, three-unit powerhouse with a combined generating capacity of about 128 MW. Through equipment efficiencies BC Hydro expects to get an increase in annual power output from the generating station of just over 7 per cent.

A new water flow bypass facility will be installed beside the new station to quickly switch over the water flow and continue to feed into the fish-bearing Campbell River in the event of a unit shut down. The old facility will continue operating until construction is completed in 2017 and it is decommissioned.

Teams in the running Originally eight teams came forward but a short list of three teams is in the final running for the contract.

“We have provided a reference case design,” says Watson, adding that it basically sets out through a project agreement the standards that the provincial power body wants met.

The final design on how to achieve the standards is left to the consor-

June/July 2013

13-06-12 11:50 AM

water resources tiums vying for the contract.

The three groups shortlisted are the Elk Falls team which includes Knight Piesold, consulting engineers of Vancouver, and Alstom Power; the SNC-Lavalin team consisting of SNCLavalin and IMPSA; and the Salmon River Hydro Partners which includes Klohn Crippen Berger, consulting engineers of Vancouver, and Siemens.

To drill or TBM? BC Hydro’s senior project engineer Kathy Groves, P.Eng. says the project does hold challenges but they are not considered major obstacles, especially to engineering and construction companies that are used to working on an international scale.

“One of the challenges is the tunnel,” she says. It will be up to the successful team to determine whether they proceed using a tunnel bor-

ing machine or a drill and blast system, Groves says.

Geo-technical information indicates no problems with the rock for tunneling but costs may play a role in determining how it is built. “It is expensive to bring in a tunneling machine for a short tunnel,” Watson says.

Also, if either drilling or blasting is chosen the vibrations must be kept to a minimum so as not to impact the pipelines above. “We can’t have significant vibrations under the pipeline or at the existing generating station that cause it to go off-line,” he says.

The intake will also demand an engineering solution. “The new intake for the facility has to be implemented without a draw down on the reservoir,” says Groves. The current pipeline intakes are "very shallow" and the new intake 300 metres away will be located at a deeper level. “We are still going to have

to operate the existing dam,” she says.

That could mean providing either a cofferdam or bulkhead to de-water the area to allow for the construction of the new intake. The reservoir then could be kept at the same level.

The BC Hydro reference design has the new generating station built beside the existing station – although the winning design may site it elsewhere. The contract also calls for removing the old generating station and intake pipes, and plugging the intake holes in the dam.

Watson says that after the DBBR team is chosen in late summer 2013, construction should begin soon after.

The Campbell River Chamber of Commerce has provided a directory listing for suppliers.

CCE Jean Sorensen is a freelance writer based in Vancouver.

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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business

By Kelly Kolke, Grant Thornton LLP

Small firms investing in accounting software should consider programs that will also help them to make smart business decisions.

Beyond Accounting

I

f it weren’t for accounting software, the personal com- ports for more accurate cash-flow management. Companies puter may never have taken off. Back in the 1970s com- looking for software that has more functionality might conputers were mainly used by hobby enthusiasts. Everything sider a program like Sage 300, the newly re-branded name changed with the introduction of the first “killer app” — a for Accpac, which is also available as a web-based program. piece of software so useful that people wanted to go out and Some consulting engineering firms integrate their acbuy the new technology. When the accounting software pro- counting software with time tracking software and project gram VisiCalc was loaded onto the Apple II in 1979, business management software. Integrating all three makes tasks people finally had a good realike cost tracking, billing, foreson to invest in a personal comcasting, and efficiently managHow easy will the program puter. It was the first computer ing multiple projects across spreadsheet program and was multiple practitioners much be to implement and use? Even the beginning of a revolution easier. Integration of all three off-the-shelf programs will require in how we use technology at also gives the ability to do home and at work. things like “milestone billing” an investment in training.

Today, accounting software on projects, thus improving not only can provide back-ofcash flow. Project management fice basics, but also it can be a tool to help you grow your and job tracking functionality can be further supplementbusiness by providing detailed reports that allow you to be ed with software that does job cost estimating and tracks more efficient and make better business decisions. cost-to-budget variances.

For any sole practitioner or small business looking to invest in new accounting software, the best place to start is Questions to Ask by clearly defining your needs. This assessment may indicate As you evaluate potential software solutions, here are other that an off-the-shelf program is just fine, or it may show that questions you should ask. you’d be better off with something a bit more sophisticated. • Does the program give you everything you need, or are Your needs might be complex enough to warrant a customyou being sold more than you need? An engineering firm designed program or require the help of a value-added reprobably won’t need an integrated point of sale (POS)/ seller (VAR) to assist you in the decision-making, installainventory tracking system, for example. tion and training. For firms with more than one practitioner • How easy will the program be to implement and to use? or working on multiple projects, more complex software Even off-the-shelf programs will require an investment in provides accounting functions and it can also help you to training so that you can make the most of them. track various key performance indicators.

• What is the cost of ongoing software support?

You may want to start with a simple program that can do • Is the program scalable so that it can grow with your all the basics — things like invoicing, payroll, cash flow manbusiness? agement, and cheque printing. For a sole practitioner, • How easy will it be to integrate the software with legacy systems you’re already using? ready-made programs like QuickBooks or Sage 50 (formerly Simply Accounting) may be enough. Programs like this are • How good is the software at protecting your sensitive financial data? relatively straightforward, but remember that you will still need to invest in training and ongoing support to get the • What are the technical requirements for on-site data storage? More and more professional services firms are turning most from them. to cloud-based programs, which reduce the need for on-site At a minimum, you should be able to use your off-thedata storage and can allow multiple users to access the proshelf accounting software to perform bank reconciliations gram from multiple locations, including from a job site. and prepare financial statements (balance sheet and inEven if you already have staff managing your accountcome statements) that can be reviewed on a monthly basis.

Other programs may allow you to create accounts payable, ing function, the right accounting program can streamcontinued on page 30 accounts receivable, work-in-progress and job costing re28

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energy

By James Gillis, Doherty Engineering

A WWII era coal-fired steam plant is being converted into a biomass cogenerating station that feeds on construction and demolition waste wood.

Architect: J.R Freethy

Biomass Plant in Ajax

Above: architectural rendering of the new 25-MW plant’s east elevation on Mills Road.

I

ndex Energy’s Steam Plant in Ajax, Ontario is undergoing a complete revitalization to become a 25-MW biomass-fired cogeneration facility. Not only will the facility become one of the few biomass-fired power plants in Ontario, but also it will provide steam to a local district heating system, which we believe makes it unique in the province. The plant will produce green electricity for export under the Ontario Power Authority’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy. Doherty Engineering provided front end engineering design for the plant on behalf of Index Energy.

The history of the steam plant is

deeply connected to the history of the town of Ajax and its preservation was a prominent aspect of the revitalization project. Originally constructed as a coal-fired facility in 1941, the plant was an essential part of the Canadian World War II economy, providing steam heat to munitions factories. Following the war, the plant remained a vital piece of the local economy by supplying local industrial clients with steam heating via below-ground distribution piping networks.

Index Energy is working closely with the Town of Ajax Heritage Advisory Committee and the architect to ensure that key historical elements of the plant are preserved. Original ar-

chitectural features are to be incorporated in the revitalized facility, including a truss, window and several structural components. At the entrance a display will showcase the original plant equipment such as a cast iron coal bunker hopper door, a military style wooden door, steel windows and recording paper charts. On the exterior, the original boiler feed water pumps will be incorporated into an architectural heritage sculpture.

Energy efficiency for lower greenhouse gas emissions Achieving a high overall energy efficiency and minimizing the envicontinued on page 30 June/July 2013

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ronmental impact were the goals that drove the design of the revitalized plant.

The fuel source is waste wood originating from construction and demolition (C & D) waste. The waste will be sorted and chipped, and delivered by truck to the plant. This fuel source diverts the waste from landfills and furthermore is locally sourced to reduce the impact of vehicle emissions used in transportation. As a dedicated biomass facility, the plant will not consume any other types of fuel such as oil or natural gas to augment or supplement steam for power generation.

Power is generated through a traditional steam cycle using three steam turbine-generator sets with a total combined nameplate capacity of 25 MW. A contemporary hydraulic floor system transports chipped wood fuel from the storage area to the combus-

Doherty Engineering

energy

Above: demolition in progress. Elements of the original historic structure are being retained; this will be the site of the future boiler and turbine hall.

business

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National Sponsors

continued from page 28

line and simplify their efforts, not to mention the downstream benefit of using detailed financial and business reports for more accurate planning and decision-making. And for small firms that outsource the accounting function to a bookkeeper or accountant, an investment in accounting software may reduce these fees. However, remember that you need to balance the fee savings with the fact that you will need to take on the task of accurate and timely data entry — something that hasn’t changed since the days of VisiCalc.

As you do your cost-benefit analysis, keep in mind that you’ll probably still need to rely on your accountant to help prepare end-of-year tax filings and help with more complex accounting and tax matters.

CCE Kelly Kolke, C.A. is a partner and national leader of professional services with Grant Thornton LLP. He is based in Nova Scotia.

E-mail Kelly.kolke@ca.gt.com.

June/July 2013

13-06-12 2:32 PM

energy tor area where it is individually metered to each combustor.

The combustors are specially designed for wood combustion, and they employ hydraulic moving grates that ensure complete and uniform combustion of the fuel.

Medium-pressure exhaust steam from a backpressure turbine feeds two condensing turbines for additional power generation and to supply local industrial and commercial customers with steam heat through the district energy piping network. The controls design optimizes the turbine loading for maximum electrical efficiency based on the demand for the district heating steam.

A multi-step heat recovery process uses condensate to recover heat from the hydraulic combustor grate coolers and flue gas. The result is a significant reduction in the exhaust temperature of the flue gas exiting the emissions stack and a reduction in overall fuel consumption in the combustors.

All the equipment is selected for high thermal and electrical efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The heat recovery steam generators and economizers, for example, maximize heat transfer from the combustion gases to the feed water, and the condensing steam turbines operate under a strong vacuum to enhance the power production.

The nutrient-rich ash waste from the combustion process is recovered and conditioned for resale, primarily to customers in the agricultural industry.

Being a good neighbour Air and noise pollution and waste management are critical to all industrial processes, especially those in close proximity to residential and commercial developments such as here.

The plant is designed to address these concerns. Its flue gas emissions achieve lower particulate concentrations than are required by the Ministry of the Environment due to a twostep treatment process comprising cyclone separators and an electrostatic precipitator.

Sound attenuation is provided on all the major equipment, through building materials and by way of a sound attenuating barrier. The plant has to comply with strict acoustic criteria to minimize noise disruption to the surrounding community and future residential developments.

The plant is in the early stages of construction and scheduled for completion in late 2014, with operations expected to begin in the first quarter of 2015. It will divert millions of pounds of waste wood per year from landfills for the generation of green power and thermal energy for export. CCE

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engineers and the law

By Chad Eggerman, Miller Thomson LLP

Potash solution mines use large amounts of water, which means they pose special risks for the consulting engineers who design them.

Don’t Get Into Hot Water

T

here are a number of existing and planned potash various processing, retention and tailings ponds.

Based on the design by the consulting engineer and their projects in Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada using a solution mining process. The solution mining process specification for the required amount of water, lawyers will involves the construction of a well field composed of at least negotiate and execute a water supply agreement. The agreetwo drill holes – one to send hot water down to the potash- ment will commit a supplier (usually a municipality or water bearing zones of rock, and another to bring the potash- agency) to provide a certain amount of water at a set price.

If the water requirement specified by the engineer is laden brine up to the surface after percolating in an underinadequate, the mine owner may have to renegotiate with ground cavern.

Given that on greenfield sites these solution mines will use the water supplier for additional quantities. Should that up to 60,000 cubic metres of water per day, or between 500 to not be possible, the consulting engineer is exposed to considerable risk. If there is an inade700 litres of water per second, water is quate water supply the entire mine becoming an increasingly important If there is an inadequate operation may be suspended or have issue for the engineering design of these mines. The two key risks in such water supply the entire mine to be redesigned. Current potash projects involve water supply and con- operation may be suspended projects in Saskatchewan are costing as much as $14 billion and damages tainment. Some mine owners have alor have to be redesigned. incurred by a consulting engineer for ready signed contracts to use treated underestimating the water supply figeffluent instead of freshwater to mitigate the supply risk, while other mine owners rely heavily on ure could potentially be very significant.

But as the consulting engineer you cannot over-design engineering design to ensure they comply with environmeneither. If the engineer specifies a water supply that is in extal legislation and to mitigate the risks of containment.

What this means for consulting engineers is that these cess of what is required, the mine owner may have to pay for projects carry some particular risks for them in terms of this oversupply. The consulting engineer may be liable to professional liability. The solutions include careful planning the mine owner to pay the difference between the actual and having well drafted contracts suitable for the project usage and the excess rate contracted for. with your clients.

Salt and Containment Estimating the water supply The environmental risks of mining projects are generally well Compared to other mining operations, the footprint of so- recognized. However, with potash solution mines using such lution potash mines is relatively small. Their tailings consist large quantities of water, the risks of containment are more primarily of salt which is stored in an above ground tailings significant. Due to the high salt content of the brine, water management area over the operating period of the mine. not properly contained and managed may damage the enviEventually, the tailings are dissolved and disposed of by un- ronment as well as damaging equipment due to corrosion. derground injection. As such, the risk of significant environDesigning structures to manage such significant quantimental contamination is lower than with other commodities ties of water also poses challenges. Also, as the structures that are mined. Nonetheless, since environmental regula- handling much of the water are outdoors, excessive snowfall tions continue to become more stringent, the tailings and or rain can lead to spills and contamination. brine should be considered a contaminant and addressed All these potential risks should be taken into account in accordingly in the design and environmental compliance. allocating risk. Generally, the consulting engineer will take Mine owners often engage consulting engineers on solu- on any design risk in the agreement with the mine owner, tion mine projects to provide water-related services for envi- but the allocation and extent of the risk should be careronmental science, tailings management and water supply. fully considered.

CCE Consulting engineers may also design the well field (where the pumps and drill holes are located), the screening and Chad Eggerman is a partner with Miller Thomson LLP in Saskacompaction unit (to process the brine) and the design of toon, Sask.. E-mail ceggerman@millerthomson.com 32

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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manufacturer case study

foundations

Helical Piers Support Structures at Switching Station

T

he owner of a large live switching station located in Toronto required a cost-effective foundation solution for the support of towers, equipment skids, cable trays and lightning masts. The soil conditions throughout consisted of loose fill in which conventional footings would not be sufficient to withstand the loading of the proposed structures. In addition, there was a possibility of contaminated soil. Stringent deflection criteria and installation tolerances were required to support the sensitive nature and final design of the structures.

EBS Geostructural was chosen because of their design-build capabilities and their ability to work closely with Hallex Engineering Ltd. (structural engineers) and the geotechnical engineers to provide a complete foundation solution with Helical Piers. Helical Piers are a deep foundation system that supports or resists compression, tension and lateral loads.

With end-bearing Helical Piers, loads are transferred down a shaft onto helical bearing plates and into load bearing soil.

Applying torque to the shaft installs the helical pier. The helices minimally displace the soil; therefore no vibrations or spoils are created during installation. A compressed construction schedule required quick mobilization and the use of EBS’s in-house design team.

A Chance® Helical Pier installation was chosen for the following reasons: • Minimal vibrations and spoils from the installation of Helical Piers made it possible to work in close proximity to existing live hydro equipment • There was tight access for installation equipment including overhead obstructions • Minimal excavation was required to support the proposed structures • Installation continued in the winter months (unaffected by cold temperatures) Helical pier depth ranged on site from 10 metres (32 feet) to 15 metres (50 feet) from grade. Various pieces of equipment and installation methods were utilized. Load capacities ranged from 130 kN to 800 kN in compression and 90 kN to 400 kN in tension depending on the application and the owner’s requirements. The exterior of the pile was grouted for additional capacity and protection against stray currents inducing corrosion in the helical pier. Several compression, tension and lateral load tests were completed for the owner and consultants to verify the capacity of the helical piers. The construction of the superstructure could continue immediately upon the installation of the helical piers.

ADVERTORIAL

EBS GEOSTRUCTURAL

EBS Geostructural is an industry-leading, design-build deep foundation construction company, with a focus on reliable solutions for challenging site and soil conditions. EBS provides services for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential clients. EBS is located at 320 Woolwich Street South, Breslau, ON N0B 1M0, Tel: 519.648.3613, www.ebsgeo.com June/July 2013

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ADVERTORIAL

manufacturer case study

pumps

GRUNDFOS

Grundfos Pump Audit Indicates Dramatic Savings for Vancouver Skyscraper

J

ust steps away from Stanley Park, located in the heart of Coal Harbour, overlooking downtown Vancouver’s waterfront and North Shore Mountains, are Classico condominiums. Towering at 38 stories, Classico houses 191 residential suites.

Having been built in 2003, the original boiler room had some substantial operational issues. The existing booster system was oversized for the application. The pumps supplying water to the upper floors were performing ineffectively, costing nearly $4,500 a year in maintenance, and were noisy. On top of that, the large size of the boilers contributed to a lack of space for domestic hot water storage and the existing heat exchangers were leaking.

The requirement was to identify an energy-efficient, little to no maintenance, compact solution. George Malburg of Ram Mechanical worked with Grundfos to conduct a pump audit which profiled the existing systems’ flow, pressure and power consumption. The data collected revealed that one of the pumps was running around the clock, even when there was no flow, indicating potential for a significant amount of energy savings with a replacement system.

After analyzing the prepared profiles, Grundfos proposed that Ram Mechanical install a BoosterpaQ system, projecting an energy savings of 127,590 kWh annually. It consists of three CR10 vertical inline multistage pumps with motors totalling 15 hp, each equipped with a VFD (variable frequency drive).

The BoosterpaQ was chosen for the following reasons: • It is ideal for water supply and pressure boosting in multi-story buildings, where needs can vary throughout the day, and it is a compact unit, requiring approximately a 20 sq.ft. footprint.

• The CR pumps are known for their economical and quiet operation. They are extremely reliable and have one of the highest efficiencies in the market.

• The MPC (multi-pump controller) controls the number of CR’s in operation, as well as the individual CR’s. It alternates between lead and lag pumps, ensuring equal run hours on all of the CR’s. Having built in pump curves, it can identify if it is more efficient to operate two or more pumps at a slow speed, rather than one pump at full speed.

• The VFD identifies variations in water flow, allowing the pumps to continuously regulate speed, while maintaining the desired constant pressure. This helps extend the lifespan of the pumps and reduces energy consumption and maintenance costs.

• The enhanced sleep mode in the VFD ensures that the system goes into standby mode when there is no demand, making for substantial energy savings.

Classico’s new system was installed in October 2011. The transition from the old system to the new posed somewhat of a challenge since it involved shutting down the water system, but with careful planning it was executed without a hitch. Additional changes in the boiler room included eight new condensing boilers and two new heat exchangers. Given the leftover space, three 450-litre domestic hot water tanks were also able to be installed.

Upon installation of the BoosterpaQ, maintenance costs and noise were immediately eliminated. Its performance has been flawless. Power consumption has dropped by 97%, and in April 2012 the energy and water savings were verified by a third party audit to be 130,000 kWh per year.

Article by Melissa Almonte of Grundfos. Grundfos is the world’s largest manufacturer of pumps and pumping systems. Grundfos’ Canadian headquarters is in Oakville, Ont. 1-800-644-9599, www.grundfos.ca

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June/July 2013

13-06-12 11:51 AM

Specifier’s Literature Review COMPLETE BUILDING RE-PIPES

Brady & Seidner has been in business for 59 years in the fields of Mechanical Contracting, Service, Maintenance, and Building Re-Pipes. Our scope of work includes plumbing, heating, HVAC, fire protection, controls and refrigeration. www.bradyandseidner.com SUPPLIER: BRADY & SEIDNER

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If you were planning to rout and seal your asphalt joints after they fail, think about the added costs of repairing what you’ve already done. Denso Re-instatement Tape is a polymer modified bituminous strip that is cold applied and designed to seal the joints between asphalt, concrete and steel, the first time. Re-instatement Tape seals around catch basins, manholes, utility cuts and next to concrete curbs prior to paving. Do it right the first time with Denso Road Products. For more information contact: Blair Slessor at 416-291-3435, email: Blair@Densona-ca.com, or visit our website at www.densona.com SUPPLIER: DENSO NORTH AMERICA INC.

WATER-SOURCE HEAT PUMPS FOR COMPLETE BUILDING

It is geothermal ready and integrates with building’s water loop, each City Multi WaterSource Heat Pump (WR2) is compact enough to fit easily in an elevator and a machine room for providing efficient heating and cooling to each and every floor on high-rises and multi-stories buildings. Equipped with Mitsubishi Electric’s energy-efficient VRF technology, City Multi WR2 systems has been applied worldwide in hotels, offices, condos and institutions to keep indoor environment consistently comfortable.

To learn more about the wide array of styles and capacities of City Multi indoor and outdoor units, or to download specifications, please visit www.CityMulti.ca SUPPLIER: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC

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ACO Stormbrixx is a unique and patented plastic geocellular stormwater management system. Designed for surface water infiltration and storage, its versatility allows it to be used in applications as a standalone solution or as part of an integrated sustainable urban drainage scheme. Its ingenious brickbonding and crossbonding feature delivers greater structural integrity – increasing reliability.

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The Canam InfoTech Express bulletin, aimed at the consulting engineering community, is intended to keep decision-makers informed about the various products Canam fabricates. By consulting Canam InfoTech Express, designers will learn how to make optimum use of Canam products for the benefit of their customers. Registration is free of charge at www.canam.ws/engineers. For more information, contact us at www.canam-construction.com SUPPLIER: CANAM

NEW PUMPS CAN CUT ENERGY COSTS BY UP TO 80%

A Grundfos pump system refurbishment can deliver fantastic savings and performance improvements in older buildings – even without changes to the building envelope or piping. Learn more at www.thinkingbuildings.ca/grundfoscrew SUPPLIER: GRUNDFOS

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This application will allow WEG Electric Motor customers in NEMA markets to search an electronic catalog for motors and produce data sheets and technical drawings. The application will also allow the user to download or email PDF data sheets and drawings. The app is available for iOS, Blackberry, Android. Go to www.pamensky.com/downloads SUPPLIER: V.J. PAMENSKY

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Victaulic provides a complete line of balancing products that allow engineers to accurately control building temperatures all while optimizing energy efficiency. Eliminate fluctuations in temperature, increase occupant comfort and reduce energy costs. Products include: • Tour and Andersson Balancing Valves and Differential Pressure Controllers • Victaulic Koil-Kit™ Coil Packs For more information visit, www.victaulic. com/balancing SUPPLIER: VICTAULIC

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GE Power & Water has a new membrane, the AG LF series, that purifies tough-totreat water such as industrial wastewater.

The low-fouling reverse osmosis (RO) membrane resists degradation from bacteria, colloids and other fouling materials. It has less frequent cleaning cycles leading to extended life, lower operating pressure and high efficiency. www.ge.com Lystek’s biosolids management system involves a combination of heat, alkali and high shear mixing to breakdown biological material from wastewater treatment plants. The resultant liquefied biosolid material provides fertilizer for farm lands,

while recycling processed biosolids to anaerobic digesters enhances biogas/methane production by 25%. Lystek, based in the Waterloo, Ontario region, won an award for its innovations at the 42nd Annual Water Environment Association of Ontario Conference in Toronto in April. www.lystek.com Power-Pipe Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems from RenewAbility Energy of Kitchener, Ontario are all-copper, double walled heat exchangers. They recover heat energy from wastewater and use it to warm incoming cold water, based on a “falling film” effect. The systems are UL-listed for potable water and

professional directory

scalable for large and low flow applications. Ontario is the first jurisdiction to provide direct energy credits for DWHR technology within its building code. www.renewability.com PUMPS

A new generation of “off-the-shelf” Movitec vertical multi-stage pumps from KSB Canada are efficient high-pressure inline pumps with seal variants rated from -30 C to + 140 C. The centrifugal pumps handle a variety of media and applications ranging from fluid transfer to instant pressure boosts. They handle volumes up to 113 m3/h and discharge up to 2,496 kPA. www.ksb.ca

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For information on placing an advertisement in the Canadian Consulting Engineer Professional Directory, contact Maureen Levy, Senior Publisher, 416-510-5111, email: mlevy@ccemag.com, or Vince Naccarato, Sales Manager, 416-510-5118, email: vnaccarato@ccemag.com

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33

Helical Piers Support Structures at Switching Station

Grundfos

34

Grundfos Pump Audit Indicates Dramatic Savings for Vancouver Skyscraper

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conversations

Bruce Bodden has advice for young engineers who aspire to get to the top of their careers.

Mentors and Adventures

B

can learn the most from is the greatest advantage you can give yourself. I also think it’s very important to earn the respect and dedication of the people who work with you and for you. If you are working alongside them and you are actually on your way to the top of the company, one day they will work for you, and they have to feel that that is a good thing and justifiable.

A mentor of mine once told me Q. How did you get to be president and that having good interpersonal CEO of MMM? skills is the only thing that really I spent my whole career at MMM matters on the path to success. basically and worked my way up That’s good news and bad news, from the bottom. Marshall Mackbecause interpersonal skills are the lin Monaghan hired me as a stumost difficult thing to achieve if dent when I was at the University you don’t have some natural incliof Waterloo, and then I went to nation that way. But there are work at the firm as a new gradu- Bruce Bodden: “A mentor of mine once told me that ate. I was seconded for a couple having good interpersonal skills is the only thing that re- things people can do to develop those skills. Similarly with commuof years to another company ally matters on the path to success." nication: if you have the ability to overseas, and then opportunities kept presenting themselves. But I wouldn’t say I was articulate your thoughts and ideas in ways that convince people, you are greatly going to enhance your profile and particularly ambitious or overly confident. your promotion chances.

On education: I think one should have an adequate eduQ. What advice do you have for young engineers who would one cation but I don’t know of anybody who got to the top by day like to head up their companies?

Just because it happened to me doesn’t necessarily mean earning more and more degrees. Actions and deeds are that I know how to do it, or even that such a formula ex- what ultimately differentiate people I think.

And I would advise people not to become complacent or ists. So much of what happens to us is the result of chance and circumstance, and timing, and even a bit of overly comfortable in their life or their career. Pat Monaghan used to describe our firm as cultivating a “spirit of adventurgood luck sometimes.

But there are things people can do to improve their ism.” This spoke volumes to me as a young engineer and to the choices that I made, including heading off to Saudi chances if they have ambitions.

First, the relationship between an employee and an em- Arabia for two years early on in my career.

So my advice would be take chances, be flexible, relocate ployer is a kind of partnership. It’s reasonable in a partnership that each should know what the other is expecting. So if necessary.

Years ago I heard someone say this: “If possible, occasionI think it’s a good idea for an employee to say, I’m prepared to commit to this company. I want to have a rewarding ca- ally be brilliant.” You don’t have to be brilliant all the time, reer. But in return what I expect is for the firm to provide but if possible, just occasionally do or say something that me with challenging work that expands my experience and says, Wow – that was brilliant! People remember that.

I would wrap all this up in a line: “Champions above you; provides opportunities for growth.

And then we all need mentors and we need champions. support around you; combined with a little adventurism, CCE To work for the smartest people around and the people you may be a good start on the road to the top.” ruce Bodden, P.Eng. was president and chief executive officer of MMM Group based in Toronto from 2001 to 2011, and in June he retired as chairman of the board. During his tenure as president, the company grew from a staff of 450 people and 10 offices, to 2,000 people and 28 offices. CCE interviewed him in late May.

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June/July 2013

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GE Power & Water Water & Process Technologies

Solving complex water challenges

Region of Peel, ON – Lorne Park WTF 383 MLD Expansion of existing WTP on a constrained site to support urban growth Picture courtesy of Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd.

City of London, ON – Oxford PCP 34,000 m3/d PHF Expansion of constrained CAS plant through membrane (MBR) retrofit with improved effluent quality

King County, WA – Brightwater WWTP 215,000 m3/d PHF Greenfield MBR discharging to sensitive environment and producing reclaimed water

At GE, we develop advanced water reuse and wastewater technologies to navigate the complex web of water-related challenges and help our customers create a sustainable water supply for the future.

Insist on GE’s ZeeWeed Ultrafiltration (UF) and Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology for robust and reliable performance. With our vast global expertise and proven track record, GE can develop customized and pre-engineered, packaged solutions to help customers produce superior quality water, stay within a smaller plant footprint and meet environmental requirements.

To learn more about how we can help you successfully meet your water treatment challenges, contact your local sales representative or e-mail us at news.engineeredsystems@ge.com.

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