Seymour-Capilano filtration project | u/c

[jlousa]

It's not finished yet, not even close, although it is partially operational. I'll dig up a article I read last week about it.

[jlousa]

Here we go, the complete scoop. Seems like the one tunnel is still being problematic.

The completion of construction deficiencies continues on the Seymour-Capilano filtration plant, as Metro Vancouver prepares the facility for operation.

“We are slowly introducing more and more water and testing the system,” said Glenn Bohn, communications specialist with Metro Vancouver.

“The commissioning of the Seymour-Capilano treatment plant is well underway. We began deliveries of filtered Seymour water from the plant in December. The commissioning is being ramped up in the coming weeks.”

The Seymour and Capilano watersheds supply up to 70 per cent of the Lower Mainland’s drinking water.

The Seymour-Capilano filtration plant, which is the largest facility of its kind in Canada, will filter up to 1.8 billion litres of water per day.

“Seymour source water is going through the Seymour-Capilano filtration plant and 65 per cent of the water from the Seymour River is being filtered through the plant,” said Bohn.

A quarterly report submitted to the Water Committee in November 2009, said NAC Constructors were busy completing construction deficiencies throughout the plant.

In September the plant was 97 per cent complete and Metro Vancouver was planning for transfer of site safety responsibilities from the prime contractor to Metro Vancouver.

“All of the major construction contracts are nearing completion, except for the twin tunnels,” said report author Mark Ferguson, water and wastewater treatment division manager.

“As of the end of September 2009, twin tunnels completion is 55 per cent. The balance of the project is at 97 per cent overall completion. Filtration of Seymour and Capilano source waters is scheduled for late 2009 and mid-2013, respectively.”

In order to treat water from both sources at one plant, water has to be moved between Seymour and Capilano through underground twin tunnels.

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 of this action, Metro Vancouver terminated BBC’s right to perform further work on the project on May 26, 2008.

In April 2009, Metro Vancouver finalized negotiations and awarded a new contract for completion of the twin tunnels to the Seymour-Cap Partnership, which is made up of Frontier-Kemper, J.F.Shea and Aecon.

“Tunnelling in the treated water tunnel (TWT) and raw water tunnel (RWT) resumed in mid July and late August, respectively,” said Ferguson. “To the end of September, the treated water and raw water tunnels were at 4.1 km and 4.2 km respectively (58 per cent of tunnels boring). This represents advances of 300m in the TWT and 65m in the RWT since the resumption of the work.”

Northwest Pipe in California is manufacturing welded steel liner pipe for the tunnels, including lining and coating work.

This work is about 75 per cent complete.

Delivery of the liner pipe to Metro Vancouver’s temporary storage site adjacent to the Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant continues with 61 per cent of pipe received.

Ferguson said overall completion of the tunnels was 55 per cent at the end of September.

Projected substantial completion is spring 2013 with the tunnels in service by mid-2013.

Filtration improves drinking water quality by removing micro-organisms, organics, silts and clays caused by heavy rainfall, and reduces the amount of chlorine required to maintain water quality.

The water will also be treated to reduce corrosion in pipes and the staining of plumbing fixtures.

Source
http://www.dcnonl.com/article/id3722...h_term=seymour

[hollywoodnorth]

I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS FINALLY COME ON LINE!

The turbidity issues over the last half a decade have been retarded. Over logging in the watersheds.....

[WarrenC12]

Is Tim Stevenson trying to tell me that pure water is blue?

[officedweller]

Thanks.

I recall that they said they could commission the filtration plant without the transfer tunnels to/from Capilano.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

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

The filtration plant is complete - its located at the Seymour Reservoir, but is designed to eventually treat water from both Seymour Reservoir and Capilano Reservoir.

The part of the overall project that isn't complete is the twin tunnels that will feed water from Capilano Reservoir to the fitration plant and then back to Capilano to be distributed through the existing distribution system orginating from the Capilano Reservoir. (i.e. they share the same filtration plant instead of building two filtration plants).

Seymour Reservoir can supply Vancouver on its own if there is enough water in the reservoir.

[red-paladin]

I recall from school that pure water does actually have a slight blue tinge, and the larger the quantity of water you are looking through, the bluer it looks. That's why deep swimming pools and oceans look a bit blue.

[DKaz]

Huh, I thought the blue in swimming pools was caused by the chlorine.

[WarrenC12]

So did I. I stand corrected by the almighty internet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_of_water

[hollywoodnorth]

a great video on the tunnel construction taking place still >>
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1153824340386

[hollywoodnorth]

and another >> http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1133912002590

and

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1056902317396

[agrant]

Cool videos. Not sure why some people seem to think the water here is undrinkable. Drinking straight out of the tap is fine. Pay a few bucks and buy a britta filter, which is better than bottled water in several ways.

[Locked In]

Some of the world's cleanest drinking water

That's what Metro officials boast as a new $820m filtration plant cuts parasitic organisms to zero

By Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun May 7, 2010


The distribution control room during a tour of the Seymour-Capilano water filtration plant that serves the metro Vancouver area, located in North Vancouver, B.C. on April 27, 2010.
Photograph by: Ian Smith, PNG


On a plot of land the size of more than 20 football fields, the new $820-million Seymour-Capilano water filtration project is serving up some of the cleanest drinking water in the world, according to Metro Vancouver officials.

The new North Vancouver plant, the largest of its kind in Canada, officially opened Friday although it's already been supplying water for two-thirds of Metro Vancouver's residents since mid-January.

Most residents probably haven't noticed a huge difference in taste, but some may have seen a bluish tinge in the water coming out of their taps.

This is an optical effect because the water is so pure, said Bob Jones, a quality control manager with Metro Vancouver: "Pure water absorbs light in the red part of the spectrum and it gives the appearance of a bluish hue."

Filtration improves drinking water quality by removing parasitic organisms and organic material caused by heavy rainfall. It also reduces the amount of chlorine that's needed.

The Seymour-Capilano project includes four major facilities including a pumping station, energy recovery facility, the water filtration plant and the $400-million twin tunnels that will allow the water from Capilano to flow into the plant to be filtered and blended with the Seymour water.

Where previously there may have been low levels of parasitic organisms such cryptosporidium and giardia, with the new filters there is zero.

Unlike the old water treatment system, which relied solely on chlorine, Metro Vancouver's plan is to use filtration and ultraviolet light as the primary disinfectant.

Chlorine will also continue to be used to safeguard the water as it travels through the pipes, although in lesser amounts.

At the Seymour-Capilano plant, 24 two-metre-deep filters sitting deep in rectangular pools use sand and anthracite to remove particles at the primary source.

That's just the first set of filters. Next, the water gushes into 24 UV reactors the size of small trucks, which sit in a warehouse where enormous futuristic-looking blue-green pipes connect to the reactors.

Each one of these reactors will filter enough water to fill 26 Olympic-sized swimming pools in a 24-hour period.

It is the largest UV filtration system in the world.

The water is also treated with sodium carbonate to raise the PH levels in order to reduce corrosion in pipes.

To the filtered water from the Seymour watershed, officials add one milligram of chlorine per litre of water. At the Capilano plant where the water is usually more turbid, officials often add 1.4 milligrams.

Jones predicts that with the new filters it may be possible to lower chlorine levels even further because the water is so clean.

But he said that won't be known until the facility has been in operation for some time and tests are done.

"With our protected watersheds our water is very high quality to begin with, but there are low levels of parasites, the giardia and crypto, in the water and they require different disinfectants than chlorine," Jones said. "Chlorine doesn't really do anything with cryptosporidium and ozone does a little bit so we need to go to the UV to get the recommended level of protection."

The experimental use of chlorine began in England in the 1890s to combat water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Canada started using it during the Second World War.

Until the 1990s water was solely chlorinated at one primary source. But that wasn't enough because chlorine evaporates, leaving the potential for water to pick up bugs along the way. In 1998, regional authorities put in secondary disinfection stations at eight different stations to boost the chlorine levels in the water to combat bacterial regrowth in the pipes.

"After we put in the rechlorination stations we saw an immediate improvement in the regrowth," said Jones.

The stations monitor the level of chlorine as the water flows into the station and then either boost it or add none to equal one milligram per litre before it reaches consumers' taps.

Until the project is complete, staff will continue to treat the water from Capilano solely with chlorine, while at the Coquitlam watershed ozone is used as a primary disinfectant followed by chlorine. But research suggests ozone doesn't cut it as a primary disinfectant for cryptosporidium.

As a result, Metro Vancouver is investing in a $110-million ultraviolet upgrade to the Coquitlam site, which is scheduled to be finished in 2012, said Mark Ferguson, water and waste water treatment division manager with Metro Vancouver.

Sand filtration as a method of removing particles from water dates back to the Romans.

Pierre Berube, an expert in the field of drinking water technologies at the University of B.C., said while sand filtration works it's not the most advanced technology. That, he said, is membrane filtration, an engineered barrier made from a Gortex-like material that removes fine particles and micro organisms that chlorine treatment cannot.

West Vancouver has been using a membrane filtration system for a year and a half.

Berube said membrane filters are more compact than sand filters and produce cleaner water, but they may not be necessary for the Seymour-Capilano plant.

"Our water is so clean that a membrane is arguably overkill. If you took the water from the Fraser River, then yes, I'd say use a membrane filter," said Berube.

Meanwhile, the Seymour water being filtered now meets all Canadian and international standards for safe water.

Combined, the Seymour and Capilano watersheds supply about 70 per cent of the Lower Mainland's drinking water. The rest of the region is supplied by the Coquitlam watershed. All three watersheds are protected.

The Capilano watershed serves the western side of the north shore and into downtown and then travels as far as the Second Narrows Bridge area and into north Burnaby, while the Seymour water runs downs the eastern half of the north shore and straight down through Burnaby and through the central part of Vancouver to Richmond.

In order to treat water from Seymour and Capilano at one plant, Metro is building a pair of underground tunnels to connect the two watersheds. When completed in 2013, the tunnels will take water seven kilometres from the Capilano reservoir to the Seymour plant, where it will be filtered.

The project was driven by stricter Canadian requirements and a predicted population increase of about 800,000 over the next 20 years.

ticrawford@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Some+wor...#ixzz0nMjUVmqw

Source: Vancouver Sun

[Spork]

I've noticed a marked improvement in water quality in my building in New West. Whereas I swore by my Brita filter before, as soon as my filter runs out, I will just be chilling water in my fridge.

New York City wins on the tunnel btw: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Yor...r_Tunnel_No._3

[squeezied]

can anyone explain the financial logistics of building twin tunnels to connect the two resevoirs and treat both waters at one filtration plant instead of building two separate filtration plants? The tunnel itself is nearly half of the total cost then add the cost for the pumping station and an energy recovery facility, won't it be cheaper and much simpler to build two separate filtration plants?

[cabotp]

My only guess as to why they did it this way. It might be because it would have been much more expensive to build a filtration system at Capilano vs Seymour. Maybe the mountain is harder to build on at Capilano. Again this is only a guess and I really don't know the full reason.

[allan_kuan]

I think there are four reasons why:
- building a new plant there in addition to the one at Seymour would mean more trees cut down, and that'd probably drive environmentalists crazy...
- in addition, from a quick glance at Google Maps' terrain view, the land at and adjacent to Capilano is more steep than at Seymour. If they wanted to build at a flat place, they would have to move it next to populated areas. Keep in mind also that they can't do land heavy-duty land reclamation as that would affect our water supply during construction.
- the tunnels minimize disruption that would have moderately affected neighbouring residential areas if a full-scale plant was constructed at Capilano. Seymour's remote location means less disruption was caused during the entire project.
- Tunnel shafts and pump stations don't require as much land as a full-fledged plant at Capilano.

[jsbertram]

Another use of the twin tunnels (aside from the primary purpose of moving water from the Capilano dam, through the treatment facility, and back into the Capilano distribution system) is this may allow for balancing water supplies from the Capilano and Seymour dams to be distributed to either the Capilano or Seymour distribution systems. ie: if something Really Bad happens to the water supply at Seymour dam, some of the water from the Capilano dam that is going through the treatment facility can be sent through the Seymour distribution system, rather than 100% of it going back to Capilano for its distribution system. Having both of the distribution systems running on something less than 100% volume for a while is likely better than having one at full (or over) capacity, and the other at a trickle while the problem is being resolved.

This also may give the engineers some flexibility to do scheduled maintenance on either dam that would otherwise cause an unacceptable reduction of water flows through the water distribution system attached to that dam.

[SpongeG]

Tunnel boring project for Vancouver water system reaches breakthrough

RICHARD GILBERT
joc staff writer
VANCOUVER

A consortium of contractors has completed the tunnel boring phase of construction at the Seymour Capilano water filtration project in North Vancouver, B.C., after delays and cost overruns when Metro Vancouver fired the original contractor.

“It is quite significant in as much as this is the completion of all the drilling of all the tunnels, which has been underway for quite some time now,” said Tim Stevenson, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Water Committee.

“It’s a big milestone. This is the most significant and the most expensive phase of the project.”

A partnership made up of Frontier-Kemper, J.F.Shea and Aecon used a raised bore to complete excavation on the second of two vertical shafts that are 270 metre deep and four metres in diameter. The raised bore work reached the surface on April 15 next to a new pumping station near the Capilano reservoir.

“The biggest challenge was when the previous firm, Bilfinger-Berger, said they couldn’t continue and told us it was the result of rocks falling inside the tunnel,” said Stevenson. “That caused us a two-year delay, because we had to find another firm to continue on.”
Metro Vancouver hired Bilfinger-Berger Canada in 2004 to construct the twin tunnels, which start near the new water filtration plant in the Lower Seymour Conservation reserve and end at the Capilano Reservoir.

The construction of the twin tunnels was initially estimated to cost about $100 million.

...

http://dcnonl.com/article/id44048

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks for posting. I was previously under the impression that the whole project was complete so this was an interesting article.