Skip to content

Award Win: Charlie West Takes Home a 2025 Brownie Award

Speedsville Pumping Station
Infrastructure

Speedsville Pumping Station

Key personnel

Dave Wilhelm, P.Eng.

Project overview

To accommodate the expanding Hunt Club subdivision and surrounding developments in East Cambridge, the City of Cambridge initiated a Class A Environmental Assessment, which identified the need for a new sanitary pumping station. The Speedsville Pumping Station was selected as the preferred solution to provide reliable sanitary servicing to approximately 341.5 hectares, including the Hunt Club subdivision, adjacent Arriscraft lands, and the broader East Side Lands.

Given the scale and timeline of development, it was essential that the pumping station and associated forcemains be designed, approved, and operational within two years. To meet this aggressive schedule, the project was delivered in partnership with a private developer while adhering to the City of Cambridge’s municipal standards and long-term servicing objectives. The station was designed to support phased construction—minimizing initial capital costs while allowing for future expansion as additional lands are developed.

MTE's Involvement

Construction included the installation of dual forcemains (450 mm and 300 mm in diameter) and a deep 525 mm gravity trunk sewer to connect the East Side Lands to the new pumping station. The project required extensive environmental coordination and the use of specialized construction techniques to address complex subsurface conditions.

MTE was retained to provide civil engineering and surveying services for both the design and construction phases of the Speedsville Pumping Station and its supporting infrastructure. Our scope included surveying, site grading, capacity analysis, groundwater and geotechnical investigations, and the detailed design of the forcemains, trunk sewer, and pumping station.

To ensure regulatory compliance, MTE managed the site plan and building permit approvals from the City of Cambridge and coordinated with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to secure Environmental Compliance Approval. We also engaged with the Grand River Conservation Authority to address environmental considerations specific to the station’s location.

The project site presented significant geotechnical and groundwater challenges. MTE implemented a high-compaction clay barrier wall and a three-pump trench dewatering system to manage groundwater during excavation. The depth and proximity of the new trunk sewer to existing infrastructure required advanced methods such as trench boxes, trenchless installation, side rail shoring systems, and meticulous construction sequencing to ensure safety and efficiency.

Throughout construction, MTE provided ongoing support through tendering assistance, construction inspection, and contract administration. We also coordinated with subconsultants responsible for electrical systems, instrumentation, SCADA integration, and landscape design—ensuring the project met all technical specifications and municipal requirements.

The successful and on-schedule commissioning of the Speedsville Pumping Station enabled the Hunt Club subdivision to proceed as planned and delivered essential sanitary servicing capacity for a significant portion of Cambridge’s future East Side development.