Stantec has been selected as the program management consultant (PMC) for the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (IIWWTP) projects in Vancouver, British Columbia. The $9.9 billion multi-year program includes construction of a new tertiary treatment facility and a range of ecological restoration and off-site works projects that will improve the connection between infrastructure, the community, and the environment.
The IIWWTP projects are the largest capital program ever undertaken by Metro Vancouver— a federation of 23 municipalities, one electoral area, and one treaty First Nation that collaboratively plans for and delivers regional-scale services. As the selected PMC, Stantec will provide a multi-disciplinary team of resources to deliver a broad range of program management and technical support services. The Stantec team will integrate with Metro Vancouver staff, working together collaboratively to manage the development and implementation of the program.
“It’s a privilege to help deliver such a transformational project with Metro Vancouver,” says Ryan Roberts, Stantec’s North American water business leader. “Our local and global experts have extensive experience delivering major, multi-year wastewater programs that will work in partnership to achieve Metro Vancouver’s safety, schedule, budget, and quality objectives for this critical program. This program will be a shining example for large water infrastructure programs for communities around the world.”
The IIWWTP will be designed with consideration of local First Nations and community stakeholders and will increase the level of treatment to improve both water quality and the surrounding marine environment. With a focus on recovering sustainable energy from wastewater, it will integrate with surrounding ecological restoration efforts and provide economic opportunities for First Nation entities. The project also aims to improve seismic resiliency to withstand earthquakes, combat potential sea level rise, and mitigate other anticipated impacts a changing climate may have on the facility throughout the 21st century.
As PMC, Stantec will collaborate with Metro Vancouver to provide a variety of management and technical functions. These include program mobilization, program management, cost and schedule control, design management and technical integration, construction administration, permitting and approvals support, communications and engagement support, and commissioning and operations integration support. Completion of the IIWWTP projects is currently scheduled for 2038 with tertiary treatment commissioning in 2035.
Stantec was selected, in part, due to the firm’s global experience with projects of similar scale, including the successful program management of the Capital Regional District wastewater program in Victoria, B.C. A significant portion of the project team is based in the Vancouver area, and have worked together on other large-scale wastewater treatment plant projects.
Next steps
Over the next four years, each of the treated sludge lagoons will be cleaned out in preparation to support the wastewater treatment plant upgrade construction and to prepare the site. Each area will be re-purposed for alternate uses during and after the IIWWTP projects construction.
From approximately May to November 2022, Metro Vancouver will begin cleaning out the southeast lagoon. This work will resume in spring 2023 for approximately nine months, and occur yearly until 2026.
During clean out operations, a barge will float on the lagoon surface and dredge out the biosolids from the bottom. The liquid biosolids will be pumped to two centrifuges, located on a concrete dewatering pad, which separates the water from the biosolids. The water will be returned to the lagoon and the remaining biosolids will be transported off-site for beneficial use.
All four lagoons will be cleaned out by the end of 2026.
Featured image credits: Stantec.
