Seymour-Capilano filtration project | u/c

[officedweller]

Note that the depth of the access shaft is 180m -

Falling rock stops work on tunnels
Contractors delay water project after encountering 'weak' granite

Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, March 05, 2008

NORTH VANCOUVER - Contractors building a $600-million water filtration plant in North Vancouver have stopped work on the twin tunnels for more than a month over fears workers could be struck by falling rock.

The project is already a year behind schedule and work is not expected to resume for at least another two weeks, said Doug Neden, Metro Vancouver's division manager for the project.

"There was some concern over worker safety and the contractor stopped work," he said. "It's all on hold at this point."

Germany-based contractor Bilfinger Bergen advised Metro Vancouver in early January that it was halting work on the $200-million twin tunnels after encountering "weak" granite and other stressors midway into the 7.2-kilometre tunnels.

The decision has led to the temporary layoff of 30 workers, many of whom were brought in from overseas.

It's not known how much it will cost to fix the problem, Neden added, nor how much it will delay the entire project. The project is already a year behind schedule after Bilfinger Bergen experienced difficulties developing the 180-metre deep shaft at the Seymour end and had some breakdowns with its tunnel boring equipment.

The project, known as the Seymour-Capilano filtration project, is now expected to be completed in 2010.

Neden said Metro Vancouver engineers provided a work plan with a series of remedies to Bilfinger Berger in January and was told by the company "it would be difficult to work with that." Another report was issued by Metro Vancouver last week and it is still waiting for a response.

Suggestions included more extensive rock bolting -- securing the weaker rock -- as well as more steel mesh. If the problem persists or gets worse, he said, engineers are suggesting using steel sets, or a steel ring beam, around the diameter of the tunnel.

Bilfinger Berger could not be reached.

Neden said both the company and Metro Vancouver are in touch with WorkSafeBC.

"We're keeping them in the loop because safety is of utmost concern, especially in tunnels where there's potential rockfall," Neden said.

He said experts have been called in and there is no worry the tunnels are at risk of collapse. "There's no danger of [them] collapsing," he said. "It's really more around the details of protecting workers. The contractors are just taking precautions before moving forward."

Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson, chair of Metro Vancouver's water committee, also said there are no concerns about the tunnel collapsing. "I haven't heard anything remotely suggesting that," he said. "It's just soft [rock] and chunks are just falling off the side of the walls."

Stevenson said Metro Vancouver was not aware that type of rock was in the tunnel site until it was informed by Bilfinger Berger in January. "This is a problem that wasn't anticipated," he said.

The tunnels are an integral part of the filtration plant, as they will allow water from the Seymour and Capilano reservoirs to be filtered, purified and treated with chlorine at a single treatment plant, located in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve at the north end of Lillooet Road.

ksinoski@png.canwest.com

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

[vanlaw]

It's kind of odd that this project hasnt really garnered all that much attention - it's one of the largest capital projects in the Lower Mainland underway at the moment. I guess it gets overshadowed by all the Olympic work.

[officedweller]

Water and sewer facilities aren't "sexy" like transit projects.

[mr.x]

I am quite sure that a lot of people have no idea that there are two tunnel boring projects going in the city at the moment. The Canada line being one of them, now complete. The other being this project.... Something like six kms of boring.

[vanlaw]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Water and sewer facilities aren't "sexy" like transit projects.

True - but a massive project nonetheless. I guess it's stuck up in the mountains out of sight and out of mind, and we really wont see any results - people dont often think of the water coming out of their taps - something we definitly take for granted in Canada.

http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/water/pdfs/SCW...heet_Nov07.pdf

[mr.x]

The TBM for the filtration project:





Water from the Capilano Reservoir will be pumped through a 3.7-metre-diameter tunnel to the filtration plant in the LSCR. From here, the water will be filtered and disinfected, and returned to Capilano by gravity through a parallel tunnel of the same size. The twin tunnels will be approximately 7.2 kilometres long and 160-640 metres underground.

[officedweller]

Nice - thanks for the pics.

[officedweller]

From the Journal of Commerce:

November 19, 2008

North Vancouver Water Filtration Project

Metro Vancouver digs deep to hire new contractor for twin-tunnel project

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Metro Vancouver is in the process of hiring a new contractor to complete the construction of twin tunnels for a water filtration project in North Vancouver.

Work on the $ 100 million project was suspended by Bilfinger-Berger Canada (BBC) in January 2008, due to concerns about the safety of underground workers.

Metro Vancouver terminated BBC’s right to perform further work on the project.

After almost a year with no work being undertaken on the twin tunnel project, Metro Vancouver is again looking for a contractor.

“We started with expressions of interest and sent about 15 invitations to potential contractors who might be able to complete the work,” said Bill Morrell, media relations and corporate communications manager with Metro Vancouver.

“We have reviewed the responses and pre-qualified three companies or consortia that are able to complete the work.”

The three joint venture companies identified in the pre-bid process are:

McNally International Inc., Obayashi Corporation and Procon Mining and Tunnelling;

Seymour Capilano joint venture – Dragodos, SELI and Schiavione;

Seymour Capilano partnership – Frontier-Kemper, Aecon Construction Inc. and JF Shea Construction Inc.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued to each of these consortia. The closing date for the return of the RFP to Metro Vancouver is Dec. 16.

“We expect to grant or award a contract by the end of January 2009, with the intention of starting work in March,” said Morrell.

The new contractor will use the existing equipment, which includes two tunnel boring machines that have remained underground since work was suspended by BBC in January.

“Procon Mining was retained to maintain ventilation and pumps, as well as keep the tunnels clear of water,” explained Morrell. “They also kept the tunnel boring machines in proper working condition.”

Some of the work was done by about 15 temporary foreign workers who were hired by Bilfinger-Berger to work on the project and then left in limbo for months without any source of income after the contractor was terminated.

Metro Vancouver hired BBC in 2004, to construct twin tunnels with a combined length of 14.2 km for the Capilano-Seymour water filtration project.

However, Metro Vancouver alleges that BBC refused to proceed with work, even though they were provided with a comprehensive and viable plan for completion.

Bilfinger-Berger filed a suit in B.C. Supreme Court against Metro Vancouver, which alleges the contract was improperly cancelled.

A series of overstress failures of the rock in the tunnels occurred in late 2007 and January 2008, which led BBC to suspend work for alleged safety reasons in the same month.

Metro Vancouver argues that the steel ribs, rock bolts and welded wire mesh as specified in the contract are sufficient, safe and viable in the current conditions.

BBC argues that Metro Vancouver and their engineer Hatch Mott Macdonald (HMM) are responsible for the project design and for all risks arising from baseline conditions being different than those set out in the geotechnical report.

[hollywoodnorth]

so even thought there are no tunnels build....I would think the plant could start working and just filter the one reservoir not both as is facilitated by the twin tunnel.

anyone know? I hope we dont get more fucking turbid water again this winter......starting to be a real drag.....

[hollywoodnorth]

after looking over the site for the project it looks like the Filtration plant has been delayed till 2009.


great....

[Locked In]

North Shore water filtration project receives a $200 million funding boost

By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun - February 27, 2009


Metro Vancouver has approved another $200 million in funding for the Seymour-Capilano filtration project and expects to name a new contractor within the next 10 days to finish the twin tunnel section.

Metro spokesman Bill Morrell said the region had to approve the extra funding before it could finalize a deal with a new contractor to finish building the 7.2-kilometre tunnels. Bilfinger Berger had been awarded the initial contract in 2004 but was fired by Metro last May after it stopped work on the project, complaining of unsafe working conditions.

The three short-listed consortiums include the McNally International, Obayashi and Procon joint venture; the Seymour-Capilano joint venture of Dragados, Seli and Schiavone; and the Seymour-Capilano partnership of Frontier-Kemper, J.F. Shea and Aecon.

The extra $200 million brings the overall cost for the filtration project to $820 million. Metro hopes to recover the extra costs in a lawsuit against Bilfinger Berger. Bilfinger has also claimed significant damages against Metro, engineer Hatch Mott Macdonald and the District of North Vancouver. John Penner, contracts manager for Bilfinger Berger Canada, said three unions representing project workers agreed with Bilfinger’s decision to stop tunneling after workers were injured.

The twin tunnels will take water from Capilano Reservoir to a filtration plant in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve and return treated water.

Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Source: Vancouver Sun

[officedweller]

Also from the North Shore News:

Filtration project's cost jumps $220M
2003 price tag balloons by more than a third, mostly on tunnelling

James Weldon
North Shore News

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

The cost of Metro Vancouver's long-awaited Seymour-Capilano filtration project might balloon to as much as $820 million, according to the region's directors.

Metro is going after its former contractor to cover the difference.

The region made the announcement Friday, saying it had approved an extra $220 million in funding over and above the project's original $600-million price tag, set in 2003.

The bulk of the new spending -- $200 million -- will go toward the completion of the huge twin tunnels that will connect the Capilano reservoir to a new filtration plant in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. The remaining $20 million will cover rising construction and engineering costs associated with other parts of the project.

Metro has launched a lawsuit against Bilfinger Berger Canada, the contractor originally tapped to build the tunnels, in an effort to force the company to pick up the tab. The region fired Bilfinger in May 2008 after the contractor suspended work for almost five months due to safety concerns.

Bilfinger claimed its crews had run into a fissure of loose rock that posed a serious danger to them, forcing them to a halt with boring only about 60 per cent complete. Metro refuted the claim, saying its own consulting engineers had deemed the tunnels stable.

In the region's view, the company failed to hold up its end of the contract, and so should be on the hook for the costs of completing it.

Last summer, Bilfinger launched its own lawsuit against the region, saying it was owed more than $60 million for the cost of labour, materials, "confiscated" equipment and other expenses.

When it became clear the parties were at an impasse last year, Metro put the tunnel project out to tender. It has since tentatively selected an unidentified company to take the reins. Although the details have not been finalized, the new contract is likely a lot more than the $99 million originally quoted by Bilfinger for completion of the tunnels. The probable difference is the major factor in the hefty new estimate of the entire undertaking.

"I think it's clear it's going to be considerably more expensive," said Bill Morrell, a spokesman for Metro Vancouver.

Bilfinger believes the region should cover that additional cost, arguing that, under the terms of their contract, the public body is responsible for unexpected difficulties relating to rock conditions.

"We believe that the recent budget increase from Metro Vancouver represents an acknowledgement that tunnelling conditions were more adverse than those contained in the initial geotechnical baseline report," said John Penner, the company's contracts manager, in a statement. "(It) reinforces Bilfinger Berger's position that enhanced tunnelling equipment and procedures are required to safely complete the project."

The twin tunnels are designed to take untreated water some seven kilometres from the Capilano reservoir to the Seymour filtration plant, where it will be forced through a membrane and then returned the seven km to its point of origin. The aim is to improve the clarity and safety of the region's drinking water.

The project was originally supposed to be finished by the end of 2008, but with the machines having been silent for more than a year and with other delays, completion isn't expected until 2012, said Morrell.

© North Shore News 2009

[officedweller]

From the Journal of Commerce

April 15, 2009

Metro Vancouver awards twin-tunnel contract to Seymour-Cap Partnership
RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Metro Vancouver has finalized negotiations and awarded a contract for completion of the twin tunnels component of the Seymour Capilano Filtration Project.

It goes to the Seymour-Cap Partnership, which is made up of the companies Frontier-Kemper, J.F.Shea and Aecon.

The partnership bid $181 million to complete the job. It will proceed using the original engineering design and the two tunnel boring machines currently in place.

The project will provide filtration and ultra-violet disinfection of drinking water from two of Metro Vancouver’s three source water supplies.

It has four key elements: the filtration plant, located in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve; the Capilano pumping station; twin tunnels that will convey water from the Capilano source to the plant for treatment and return treated water for distribution; and an energy recovery facility.

Bilfinger-Berger Canada (BBC) Inc. was hired in 2004 by Metro Vancouver to construct the twin tunnels with a combined length of 14.2 km.

Work on the project was suspended by BBC in January 2008 due to concerns about the safety of underground workers.

As a result, on May 26 Metro Vancouver terminated the company’s right to perform further work on the project.

According to Metro Vancouver, BBC refused to proceed, even though they were provided with a comprehensive and viable plan for completion.

The company also filed a suit in B.C. Supreme Court against Metro Vancouver, which alleges that the regional authority improperly cancelled the contract and failed to develop a viable and safe plan for completion.

BBC is suing Metro Vancouver, the engineer Hatch Mott Macdonald and the land owner, the District of North Vancouver for $22.5 million in unpaid invoices, unpaid holdback and applicable taxes. They are also seeking a court order for the return of more than $ 35 million worth of equipment and buildings at the site.

A Builders Lien was put against the title to the lands, by the company in an attempt to secure the claim.

A trial date hasn’t been set.

The filtration plant and energy recovery facility are nearing completion, and the pumping station is already complete.

The cost of constructing the tunnels was initially estimated at about $100 million, but overall costs for the tunnels are now projected to reach $400 million.

Work on the tunnels is expected to commence in April, with completion anticipated at the end of 2012 or early 2013.

Filtration plant construction is expected to be completed this spring and the plant fully operational by the fall.

[hollywoodnorth]

"Filtration plant construction is expected to be completed this spring and the plant fully operational by the fall."

YES!!!! no more Turbid water anymore!!!!

[officedweller]

From the Journal of Commerce:

April 27, 2009

Water Supply Infrastructure

Vancouver digs deep to reduce earthquake risks

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Metro Vancouver is planning on building water tunnels beneath the Fraser River and Burrard Inlet to ensure the region’s key water supply infrastructure can withstand a major earthquake.

“Right now we are just at the stage of detailed design, which includes finishing contract documents, specifications and drawings,” said Frank Huber, division manager of engineering support and technical services with Metro Vancouver.

“We are within a month of completing this and are also trying to get a team together for the construction stage. We are just about there after four to five years of investigations and design.”

The Port Mann tunnel is expected to be one kilometre long and 3.2 metres in diameter, with a pipe inside hauling water from Coquitlam to North Surrey.

“Within Metro Vancouver, we have a program to build a water supply system to survive a major earthquake and provide water immediately after an earthquake,” he said.

“The new Port Mann tunnel is a key component in a system that will allow the provision of water after an earthquake.”

According to Huber, tunnels are designed to withstand the worst possible earthquake scenario.

That would be a quake of about an eight or a nine on the Richter scale that would hit 200 or 300 miles away off the coast of Vancouver Island or a closer earthquake with a magnitude of about seven on the Richter scale.

The existing pipeline crossing, which was constructed in 1974, consists of a 1200 mm diameter welded steel pipe about one kilometre long.

The pipeline crosses the Fraser River just downstream of the Port Mann Bridge and is a primary water supply link to municipalities south of the river.

There is no damage potential to the pipeline for a minor earthquake, but the crossing would fail during a moderate or a major tremor.

In 1997, this crossing was damaged by river bed scour, which caused significant water supply problems to several municipalities.

Water restrictions were placed on residents and water was rerouted from other crossings.

The repair was completed in 1998 and consisted of replacing the damaged section of the watermain and providing a limited protective apron to protect against future scour.

“We patched the pipe and figured it would last for 10 to 15 years, which would give us time to come up with a tunnel design for a new crossing that would be seismically secure and secure from river scour or erosion,” explained Huber.

The tunnel will be constructed using a Tunnel Boring Machine similar to the one used on the construction of the Canada Line.

The machine will install a lining as it goes through soft ground and sandy deposits.

The pipe will fit inside the tunnel, which will be filled with cementitious grout.

“All three structural components will act in unison to give the strength and ductility needed to resist seismic forces or major earthquakes,” said Huber.

In October 2008, Metro Vancouver issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the provision of construction management services for the Port Mann water tunnel.

The RFP, which was due in November, generated responses from Sandwell Engineering, Hatch Mott MacDonald and Pacific Liaicon and Associates.

The contract was awarded to Hatch Mott MacDonald.

“We still have to get the permits in place from the Fraser River Estuary Management Program and the Port of Vancouver,” said Huber.

“We hope to have the prequalification stage for construction to go out in June or July, but that will depend on the permits. We will short list the contractors through prequalification and hopefully in the fall we will be in a position to make the final award.”

The budget for the design, construction and pipeline work for the project is about $200 million.

Construction is scheduled to start in January 2010 and the project will be completed in 2013.

The Second Narrows tunnel will be even bigger, at 4.1 metres in diameter, with the pipe inside being three metres in diameter. The pipeline would supply the bulk of water from the Seymour watershed across the Burrard Inlet to Burnaby.

“We just finished the conceptual design on the Second Narrows tunnel, which means we are at where we were five years ago on the Port Mann tunnel. But, we hope to get through the design phase faster and start construction in three years.”

Metro Vancouver’s conceptual design for the tunnel has identified a need to locate the south exit of the tunnel in northwest Burnaby within city-owned land at Montrose Park.

The three North Shore crossings that currently supply water were built in the 1940s and wouldn’t survive even a minor earthquake.

The Second Narrows tunnel is estimated to cost about $150 million.



A map shows where the proposed tunnel will cross Burrard Inlet.

[djmk]

that new tunnel in burnaby looks like it's going in just down from my home.

groan.

when will the water main construction in my neighbourhood going to end???

[Kwik-E-Mart]

Any reference to filtration projects will lead me to sing the Borat Kazakhstan anthem, notably:

"Filtration system a marvel to behold.
It remove 80 percent of human solid waste."

[officedweller]

I thought I noticed that the toilet water looked cleaner than it used to.

New filtration technology turns Vancouver's water blue
Not to worry...blue means it's clean

Jill Drews Jan 27, 2010 10:48:28 AM

6 Recommendation(s) VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - There is something different about the water in Vancouver. It's coming out of the taps a bit blue, but that's actually a good thing.

People drawing a bath lately might have noticed the colour change against the white porcelain on the tub. Vancouver City Councillor Tim Stevenson says that's because the water is now extremely pure. A brand new filtration plant at the Capilano-Seymour reservoir has come online.

Stevenson says it is filtering out silt which used to be in the water. "All of that is taken out, there is none of that silt. There's no turbidity and so you've got pure water. So when you see that bluish hue, it's because the water is absolutely pure so you don't have to worry one iota."

He says this will also mean an end to boil-water advisories after stormy, rainy weather.

[osirisboy]

I'm confused. so is this project completely finished? Or is some of it still delayed as the thread title says?

[DKaz]

Apparently it just finished. Mods, updated the thread title please.

Too bad Mission doesn't get this water.