The village of Pemberton is a spectacular 20-minute drive north of the Resort Municipality of Whislter in British Columbia, Canada. The village, located at the foot of the majestic Mount Currie and adjacent to Lillooet River, is in the heart of the Pemberton Valley.
The area was developed at the turn of the century as a result of forestry and agriculture. Community appreciation of their environment is evident in the village's mission statement: Committed to building and maintaining a village, which preserves and enhances the natural environment, heritage and uniqueness of our community.
Increased wastewater needs
Since 1996, the village has experienced an amazing 250% population growth and currently has a population over 2,000. The growth of the community is a result of the economic growth in the region.
However, growth had placed a heavy burden on the old wastewater treatment system. The Village Wastewater Treatment Plant reached is capacity in 2003 and was not considered a viable candidate for upgrading.
Recognizing the urgent need to address problems with the wastewater treatment system, and to build more capacity to facilitate continued growth, the village retained Associated Engineering as the program manager to oversee the design, construction and commissioning of a new wastewater treatment plant for the Village of Pemberton.
Associated Engineering prepared a Request for Expression of Interests and Request for Proposals for this project, which was delivered under a design-build contract. The terms of reference embraced the village's mission statement.
Completed on time
The design-build contract was awarded to contactor, Maple Reinders. During the process, Associated Engineering maintained close and continuous communication with Maple Reinders and the village, and managed the related environmental and regulatory provisions.
The project was delivered on schedule as construction was completed in less than one year and the new treatment plant was commissioned in February 2005.
The new treatment plant will service 5,000 people with the ability to upgrade the capacity to 7,500 people. The plant process includes influent fine screening; aerobic biological secondary treatment process; final equalization and clarification; effluent disinfection; river outfall; sludge stabilization; and sludge dewatering.
This treatment project, along with the sewerage system upgrades, ensures that the village maintains its sustainability during the upcoming years.
