Stantec awarded engineering at Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant renewal project

Stantec, a sustainable design and engineering company, has been awarded the engineering during construction, and commissioning portions of the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant Renewal Project (BPWTP) in Saskatchewan, as part of the Graham-Aecon Joint Venture.

Together with its partners Graham, Aecon, and Associated Engineering (AE), Edmonton-based Stantec led the engineering design of the $273 million comprehensive upgrade to the BPWTP, using the progressive design-build delivery model. This is the first time this delivery model has been employed in Canada for water infrastructure, Stantec says.

The project is owned by the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant Corporation (BPWTP Corporation) and is now proceeding with construction. It will deliver an upgraded water treatment plant for the 260,000 customers in the cities of Moose Jaw and Regina, plus users of SaskWater and Buffalo Pound Provincial Park. The BPWTP is located approximately 30 kilometers northeast of the City of Moose Jaw.

Commissioned in 1955, the plant has undergone three major capacity and process improvements since its original construction, with the last capacity increase completed in 1989. The plant’s infrastructure elements are nearing the end of their operational lifecycle and this renewal project will help tackle climate-related raw water conditions, evolving regulatory requirements, help prevent loss of water supply, and address dated water treatment technologies, all to simplify operations and increase capacity to meet future demands.

Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant in Saskatchewan.

Stantec will be involved in construction inspections as well as start-up and commissioning activities. A key component of the project’s overall engineering design was to reuse much of the existing infrastructure, reducing construction cost and minimizing the construction of a new building footprint.

“We’re incredibly proud of our design team and partners for their work on this project,” says Gillian Edwards, Stantec’s design manager for the BPWTP renewal.

“This is a live operating plant that can’t experience long shutdown periods. Our design team has been working closely with our construction partners and the BPWTP Corporation to sequence construction and commissioning activities. This way we can ensure physical upgrades are completed with minimal impact to current water production.”

The renewal project will help tackle climate-related raw water conditions, evolving regulatory requirements, help prevent loss of water supply, and address dated water treatment technologies.

According to Ryan Johnson, president and CEO of BPWTP Corporation, “we are very excited to transition into this new phase of our Plant Renewal Project and to continue working with Stantec and the Graham-Aecon Joint Venture to ensure a successful outcome.”

Stantec has completed an Issued for Construction (IFC) package for the Plant Renewal that includes updated treatment processes to address regulatory requirements into the future. Stantec’s work on the first phase included design and regulatory approval support. Stantec’s architects also collaborated with water treatment plant engineers to design a new administrative building for BPWTP Corporation staff. This building will connect the plant’s operations, maintenance, and management groups, improving team cohesiveness.

The project is expected to be complete in 2025.