Private Wells

Before this project, households and industries in Exshaw had to draw their water from private water wells in shallow aquifers, prone to surface contamination, and use it untreated.

Road Reconstruction

To retrofit the community-wide distribution system, the roads needed to be fully removed and completely reconstructed afterwards, which was facilitated by ISL's integrated disciplines.

Sustainability

The water system met the client’s sustainability goals by providing a low maintenance, low energy and low lifecycle cost treatment system that effectively treats the complex raw water.

Project Completion

ISL managed this project from conceptual design to contract closeout, even assisting the Municipal District of Bighorn in obtaining funding. With the distribution system, potable water is now readily available for residents and firefighting.

Award Winner

The project won a 2013 Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA) Award of Excellence for Water Resources and Energy Production as well as a 2013 Canadian Consulting Engineering (CCE) Award of Excellence in the Water Resources category.

"The team demonstrated outstanding innovative and collaborative engineering skills in successfully overcoming the multiple technical, economic, environmental and social challenges for the creation of a safe, secure and sustainable municipal potable water supply."
—CEA Showcase Award judge’s comment
(Alberta Innovators magazine, spring 2013)

Linking Neighbourhoods

When completed, the Greenway will run 1.2 km along Willingdon Avenue from Lougheed Highway to Hastings Street with a future phase taking the Greenway north to Penzance Street. It will link major new high-density, mixed-use developments with the Burnaby Heights commercial district, Confederation Park and a regional trail network while offering multi-modal transportation facilities.

Pedestrian-friendly

Despite being located beside a busy arterial roadway, the park will be a pedestrian-friendly space. To help shelter greenway users from road traffic, a green tunnel will be created from landscape berms, shrub beds and a tree canopy. New curb alignment and medians along Willingdon Avenue as well as new crosswalks and enhanced signalization at six intersections will prioritize pedestrian safety.

Compressed Schedule

To accommodate a compressed 18 month project schedule, the team will provide a highly resolved schematic design for quick client buy-in and advancement to detailed design.

Funding

Largely funded by the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, the project included 45,000 m2 of road, drainage and landscaping improvements. The project was designed looking through a sustainability lens.

Flooding

Historical congestion and occasional flooding hamper both commuter and commercial traffic flow. Existing drainage was very poor and required improvements in the roadway profile and cross falls to mitigate flooding.

Fish Habitats

Both sides of Lougheed Highway and the west side of King Edward have fish-bearing ditch networks that are sensitive to impacts. Vegetated bioswales replaced asphalt medians, thereby allowing infiltration, reducing flooding impacts on fish habitat and improving water quality.

Bioswales

Engineered topsoil blends remove hydrocarbons and TSS from road runoff, which is then directed to the bioswales. Aesthetics were enhanced with landscaping of rain gardens, boulevards, streams and ditches throughout the corridor.

Project Completion

Completed in 2011, the final product is an attractive transportation corridor with more capacity for vehicles and better provision for safe pedestrian and bicycle movement while also boasting a minimal flooding risk and improving stormwater quality and fish habitat.

Resident Concerns

Local residents were very concerned about the need to remove mature poplar trees on the proposed trunk sewer alignment. These acted as a natural buffer between their backyards and the golf course. This component of the project required consultation with the golf club and with the neighbouring residents for final landscape design.

Public Consultation

Several open houses were conducted to explain the plan to replace the trees and re-landscape the area. Residents were shown how extensive landscape architecture services would be conducted for restoration of the acquired easement through the golf course property. By adding more decorative landscaping than previously existed, the project became highly acceptable to the golf course, the adjacent residents and the general public.

Tight Timelines

To meet the tight timelines set by the client, the majority of the trunk sewer was installed during the winter season. Also, most of the supplies, including bench manholes, were preordered ahead of time and stored until needed.