Vernon, BC
The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) needed a $30 M filtration facility at the Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant to meet drinking water regulations. Without public support to borrow the funds, WSP, as the prime consultant, engineered and delivered an innovative $7 M ultraviolet disinfection facility. By leveraging its expertise in UV disinfection, WSP addressed three issues: an unconventional application of UV disinfection downstream of the clarification process, treatment and process reliability, and the existing site footprint and hydraulics. Within an extremely tight design schedule imposed by the funding criteria of the Canadian Water & Wastewater Fund, the team delivered the project on-budget and successfully met the Ministry of Health treatment objectives that would normally be achieved by filtration. WSP provided sustainability in design through reduced site energy costs of 10% and achieved 99.9% operational reliability for the new UV facility. This project was for the jurors a great example of problem solving; the team identified a $7 M solution for a $30 M project that the community could not afford and addressed the additional regulatory review required because of its first time use in that jurisdiction.