August 28, 2009

AECOM CANADA ARCHITECTS LIMITED

Work is underway on the Walkerton Water Centre expansion.

FEATURE: Water and wastewater

Focus is now on prevention in Walkerton, Ontario

Clean Water Centre scheduled for fall completion

MARY BAXTER

correspondent

Work is wrapping up on a new facility for a provincial agency that supports Ontario’s water and wastewater treatment industry through training and research.

Construction on Walkerton Clean Water Centre’s new digs, begun October 2008, is on time and should finish this fall.

“We have set the date of October 30 as the date of the move (to the new facility),” says Dr. Saad Jasim, the centre’s chief executive officer.

Phenomenal growth in demand and a chronic space crunch are the factors driving the $8 million, provincially funded project. Since it opened in 2004, the centre has trained more than 18,000 people.

The centre is unique in Canada and was established in response to the Walkerton crisis in 2000 when thousands were sickened and at least seven died from E. coli contamination in the town’s water system.

At 19,150 square feet, the new building will more than double the centre’s current space and along with administration offices, meeting rooms and reception, will offer a technical demonstration area including a lab, workstations, demonstration equipment and two water treatment systems. The facility will also offer three training rooms which can be combined to create a large conference room and technical capabilities such as video conferencing for extension programs.

Building with a LEED gold standard designation in mind is a defining feature of the project.

Although not technically considered a treatment plant, Jasim says he hopes the new centre will inspire others in water treatment to think green in their approach to plant construction and operation. Features include using rainwater and treated water from the technical demonstration area for irrigation and toilets, using recycled content for flooring and tiling, employing both solar and geothermal heating and using occupancy sensors for lighting.

Ontario Realty Corporation,is managing the project. Also involved are the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Municipality of Brockton, which has contributed land in an industrial business park on Walkerton’s east end at a nominal fee.

Whitby, Ontario and Kitchener-based AECOM Canada Architects Limited designed the facility; Waterloo-based Melloul-Blamey Construction is the general contractor. Some of the work, such as electrical and flooring, is sub-contracted to local firms.

Jasim also notes the high level of collaboration and time commitment involved to bring the project to substantial completion within a year.

“You cannot work in the classic manner to move a project of this size,” he says. “You have to put more time, you have to look into all the potential issues that could impact the project.”

So once complete, will the new centre offer training for those in water treatment construction? It’s a possibility, especially in connection with the LEED certification, and points to a water system energy management course currently under development and scheduled for launch this fall, as an example.

Print | Email | Comment