Water Treatment Plant & System Improvements (Driftpile First Nation)

ISL Engineering and Land Services were retained by the Driftpile First Nation to assess all water supply, treatment and distribution infrastructure; conduct membrane pilot testing; and provide design and construction administration services for a new water treatment plant, treated water storage reservoir, water distribution and sanitary collection system expansions, and residential roadway network expansion.

Project elements included: detailed system and process assessment; distribution system modeling; geotechnical investigation; environmental assessment; pilot testing; architectural; municipal, structural, process, electrical and instrumentation design; administration and field services during construction; and post construction services.

This project presented a number of challenges that were addressed by the expertise and dedication of the client and entire design team. At the time Indian and Northern Affairs Canada did not have any standards or guidelines for First Nation water treatment facilities, but mandated that the Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality be met. The Driftpile First Nation did not want to upgrade this new facility in a few years when regulations change and therefore a facility was designed that met and exceeded all the current standards and regulations. The quality of the raw source water for the community also presented a challenge as the background levels of certain key parameters, such as Total Organic Carbon, were at levels that were beyond what could be effectively treated by conventional treatment processes. This necessitated the need for innovative and sometimes complex solutions, but the solution had to be such that the overall operation and maintenance of the facility was simplified and trouble-free.

This project was a success due to the collaborative and professional efforts of the client’s management team, the design team, the contracting group, and various federal and provincial stakeholder groups. These efforts were advanced through the use of preliminary and detailed design review sessions, project progress meetings during construction, and stakeholder information sessions at key project milestones.

Location: Driftpile, Alberta, Canada

Completion: 2006

Contributing ISL Disciplines:

• Environmental Engineering
• Municipal Engineering
• Rural Roadway Engineering
• Structural Engineering
• Communications

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