Old Mill Pumping Station

Services

Civil Engineering

Key Personnel

Dave Wilhelm, P.Eng.

Director, Water/Wastewater | Kitchener

dwilhelm@mte85.com

Full profile

Project Overview

The Old Mill Sanitary Pumping Station is being replaced with a larger pumping station to service growth in the community while providing longevity and reliability.

The former Old Mill Sanitary Pumping Station was constructed in 1969, adjacent to the Grand River. With future development potential in mind, the City of Kitchener recognized a need to upgrade the aging infrastructure. The redesign was set in motion with the purpose of bringing the station into compliance with current City standards and as an opportunity to increase emergency storage capacity.

MTE’s Involvement

We first completed a Schedule B Class Environmental Assessment (EA) to identify the City’s options and determine the best course of action for sanitary servicing. Throughout the Class EA we considered the various impacts presented with each option. Environmental, cultural heritage, archeological, geotechnical and hydrogeological studies were completed to guide our analysis.

The minimization of disruption to residents and the surrounding natural area was a high priority. Our team engaged the public, First Nations and a wide range of stakeholders for their input. We collaborated with stakeholders through various meetings and open-lines of communications, including a Public Information Centre.

Based on the Class EA, we determined that the preferred solution was to decommission and remove the old station and construct a new sanitary pumping station and forcemain on the opposite side of Old Mill Road. Our team completed the preliminary and detailed design for the new 150 L/s station, which includes:

An emergency storage tank with tipping bucks for flushing;
A two-cell divided wet well with a rock trap and grinder;
A dry well with three pumps and a magnetic flowmeter; and
A control building housing:
- A pump hoist room with an odour control unit; and
- A generator room, electrical room and washroom.

A larger forcemain is also being constructed for the new station, in addition to a new inlet sanitary sewer and a re-located watermain to accommodate the new station building.

Our group has managed the contract administration for the construction of the new station, as well as the decommissioning of the existing station so that the community can find renewed use for the land. Extensive dewatering was required to allow excavation below the groundwater table. The new Old Mill Pumping Station is currently under construction and expected to be completed at the end of this summer.