A public works project recently undertaken in Orillia will not only allow the expansion and improvement of Orillia’s sewage systems; it has also won an award.
The Hoelscher Ferrer North America consortium says a recent wastewater pumping station project for which it was a consultant has received the Dewatering Consultant Project of the Year distinction from the Dewatering Institute.
Facing water table control challenges that led a prior company to halt excavation, the contractor for the project reached out to Hoelscher Ferrer for a solution, the company said in a news release.
A previous subcontractor had attempted to lower the water table, but its design and capacity proved ineffective, the company said.
The construction of the pumping station presented several challenges, including:
- its location in an area bathed by the water of Lake Simcoe
- the presence of the water table at a depth of just one metre
- the depth of the excavation at 12 metres
After an analysis of the previous project’s shortcomings, Hoelscher Ferrer’s technical team devised a solution involving a network of 10 low-capacity deep wells. The project was completed in 45 days.
The successful dewatering made it possible to proceed with the construction of the pumping station, and all project objectives were met, the company said.
The previous wastewater pumping station was more than 90 years old, and its capacity was insufficient for current needs, according to Hoelscher Ferrer.
