Canadian Consulting Engineer January February 2009

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

For professional engineers in private practice

ENGINEERS TRY TO KEEP AVALANCHES OFF HIGHWAYS ROUNDABOUTS — A NEW DESIGN CHALLENGE ADVANCED WATER TREATMENT

avalanches

roads &

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contents

January/February 2009 Volume 50, No. 1

Cover: Avalanche Territory. Photograph by Kevin Fogolin, Chris Stethem & Associates. See story page 20

features

Bout-de-l’Ile roundabout, Montreal.

See story page 25.

departments Comment

4

Up Front

6

Business

13

ACEC Review

14

Engineers & the Law

31

Computers

33

Products

36

Advertiser Index

37

Human Edge

38

Next issue: Renewable energy at Exhibition Place, Toronto; Clean coal power in Saskatchewan; Industrial fire protection.

Books & Energy A Hot and Crowded Place. Thomas L. Friedman’s recent best-selling book predicts that the world’s energy issues will have far-reaching political and social consequences.

By Lee Norton, P.Eng.

18

COVER STORY Transportation Avalanche Territory. In the mountains of B.C., avalanche expert Alan Jones works with geotechnical engineers and designers to try to keep roads free of deadly snow falls.

By Heather Kent

20

Roundabouts Ahead! What engineers need to know about designing a new type of intersection that is just starting to gain ground in North America.

By Martin Hétu, P.Eng. and Eric Peissel, GENIVAR

22

Roundabout at Bout-de-l’Ile. The first major roundabout in the province of Quebec merges two traffic arteries from downtown Montreal onto a busy bridge crossing.

Séguin ingénierie

25

Water Treatment Advanced Oxidation Processes. New technologies are being developed to deal with emerging contaminants in our drinking water, such as pharmaceutical products and endocrine disrupting compounds.

By Linda Wojcicka, M.A.Sc., Elia Edwards, P.Eng., Quinn Crosina, M.A.Sc., Associated Engineering

27

January/February 2009

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

2/2/09 12:50:08 PM

engineer For professional engineers in private practice

comment

C a n a d i a n C o n s u lt i n g

Editor

Bronwen Parsons E-mail: bparsons@ccemag.com (416) 510-5119 Senior Publisher

Project reviews should be the norm

Maureen Levy E-mail: mlevy@ccemag.com (416) 510-5111

M

Rosalind Cairncross, P.Eng.

Art Direction

Ellie Robinson Contributing Editor

ost engineers celebrated the Quebec government’s decision last fall to hire consulting engineers and architects not based on fees, but based on their qualifications and experience (a practice known as quality-based selection, or QBS).

But now engineering firms who work in the province’s public sector are facing a different aspect of the new procurement regime. At the end of every contract, the government client will review the consulting engineer’s work, and if they find it unsatisfactory, the government will have to issue a report. According to Johanne Desrochers, president of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec (AICQ), based on draft documents she’s seen from Transports Québec these post-project evaluations will be “quite comprehensive.” The public client apparently has 60 days after the end of the contract to issue a report. The consulting engineer will have 30 days after that to respond and oppose the charges, then the client will have another 30 days to reconsider Since the post-project report will be consulted any time the engineering firm responds to any future government requests for proposals, the stakes are high. There will be a great deal of angst if a poor report seems imminent.

Perhaps foreseeing trouble ahead, Transports Québec was planning to issue reports not only when a consultant has failed to live up to expectations -which is all that is required under the regulation -- but also at the end of every project, whether transportation staff are happy with the work or not.

Hopefully the other Quebec ministries will also avoid issuing only negative reports. The reality is that it’s often personality clashes that cause projects to run into trouble. A solvable problem becomes an impassable mountain when personalities on each side don’t like or respect each other. So in light of the fact that subjectivity and emotion play a big role in determining if a project runs smoothly, it’s fairer to issue the evaluations in all cases. Also, the more comprehensive the evaluations have to be, the better. Otherwise it would be too easy for the clients to hastily fire off a sharply critical report that would paint the firm in such a poor light its future could be jeopardized. Then the lawsuits would fly and we’d find ourselves in a bigger mess than ever.

The AICQ supports the idea of post-project evaluations being done in every case. Desrochers says: “[Evaluations] should be part of every quality control program.”

And surely quality control is part of every firm’s practice. Don’t engineers already make it standard practice to go back and reassess their projects? They would do this both to see how well the building, bridge or plant is performing, and to talk with the client and iron out any issues with them. Painful as such reviews might be, without them how do we learn from our mistakes?

It’s important to remember that the new procurement policies came about in Quebec as a direct result of the Laval overpass collapse in 2006. The subsequent Johnson Commission’s recommendations made it clear they thought consulting engineers need to stay on top of things, and that the quality of work needs to be assured.

Bronwen Parsons

Advertising Sales Manager

Vince Naccarato E-mail: vnaccarato@ccemag.com (416) 510-5118 Editorial Advisors

Andrew Bergmann, P.Eng., Bruce Bodden, P.Eng., Gerald Epp, P.Eng., Kevin Hydes, P.Eng., Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., Laurier Nichols, ing., Lee Norton, P.Eng., Jonathan Rubes, P.Eng., Paul Ruffell, P.Eng., Ron Wilson, P.Eng. Circulation

Beata Olechnowicz (416) 442-5600 x3543 Production Co-ordinator Karen Samuels (416) 510-5190 Vice President, Publishing Business Information Group (BIG)

Alex Papanou

President, Business Information Group (BIG)

Bruce Creighton Head Office

12 Concorde Place, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Tel: (416) 442-5600 Fax: (416) 510-5134 CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published seven times a year by BIG Magazines L.P., Toronto, Ont. EDITORIAL PURPOSE: Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine covers innovative engineering projects, news and business information for professional engineers engaged in private consulting practice. The editors assume no liability for the accuracy of the text or its fitness for any particular purpose.

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January/February 2009

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1/30/0910:37:46 3:16:39AM PM 8/14/2008

up front

TRANSPORTATION

cal and structural designer for several of the overpasses and viaducts. One is the 815-metre Meadowtown Viaduct, a complex multi-span structure with varying skew foundations to carry it over a railway and vehicle traffic below.

Costing $900-million, the entire project is being done as a design-build contract for the owner TransLink by a joint venture of Bilfinger Berger (Canada) and CH2M HILL Canada. TransLink has a 35-year agreement with Bilfinger

TransLink

Golden Ears Bridge almost ready In a city littered with megasize construction projects, the largest transportation project of all in metropolitan Vancouver should be ready to open to traffic by June, if not earlier.

The Golden Ears Bridge is the first direct link across the Fraser River between Langley and Surrey on the south shore and the mainly residential

Golden Ears Bridge, Vancouver, under construction.

municipalities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to the north.

Named after a nearby mountain range and decked out with eagle sculptures, the crossing has six lanes and is over a kilometre long. It will be the longest extradosed cable-stayed bridge in North America and the second of this type to be built in Canada, following the recent completion of the Canada Line North Arm Bridge. Both were designed

by Buckland and Taylor.

The Golden Ears Bridge is built of lightweight composite material to ease the seismic loads on the foundations.

One of the project’s main challenges was designing foundations in this area of weak soils.

The project includes a host of ancillary projects in the bridge’s vicinity, such as 13 kilometres of main roads, 11 kilometres of local street reconstruction, and 17 new bridges and viaducts.

CH2M HILL (Ken Rebel, P.Eng. and Arun Khatri, P.Eng.) is lead geotechni

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p06-13 CCE Feb_09 Upfront.indd 6

Berger BOT to finance, design build, maintain and rehabilitate the toll bridge.

The owner’s engineers are Associated Engineering and Collings Johnston.

The bridge will cut down travel times to downtown Vancouver by up to half an hour, eliminating the need to go via the Port Mann Bridge.

STRUCTURES

On Thin Ice in Ottawa

By Nerys Parry Every winter for almost 40 years, about a million red-nosed and toque-topped skaters glide along the Rideau Canal Skateway, Canada’s largest outdoor ice rink. Few probably give thought as to how thick — or thin — the ice is that they’re skating on. Or that it might soon be growing thinner.

The agency in charge of operating the Skateway, the National Capital Commission (NCC), has always relied on National Research Council advice and

WATER

Montreal spends on infrastructure The city of Montreal is spending 24% more on infrastructure in 2009 compared to 2008. Projects include modernizing Rue Notre-Dame, improving access to Montreal-Trudeau Airport, and repairs to the McTavish reservoir which supplies drinking water to half the city.

Go back, big Carp A three-year study done for the Great Lakes Fishery Trust in the U.S. has recommended physically separating the watersheds of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin in order to prevent the spread of invasive species such as the voracious Asian Carp.

Over 100 years ago a series of canals and rivers were built to connect Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River near Chicago, but the study authors say the connection needs to be severed.

Newfoundland monitors pollution from space The government of Newfoundland and Labrador is working with the European Space Agency to detect pollution point sources in three waterways around the island. C-CORE will oversee the project, which uses technology called Earth Observation.

continued on page 8

January/February 2009

1/30/09 3:17:14 PM

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continued from page 6

basic rules of thumb, like a minimum 30 centimetres equivalent depth of ‘clear’ ice, to determine ice safety.

Ice comprises layers, with different strengths. The NCC’s traditional method for assessing ice strength was to assume ‘clear’ ice had full-strength, and ‘white’ ice (formed from frozen snow, refrozen slush, or during flooding) had half that strength. The effective ice thickness was adjusted accordingly, with every two centimetres of white ice being equal to every centimetre of clear ice. NCC’s consultants, BMT Fleet Technology, conducted a study and concluded that flooded ice, under certain conditions, may be as strong as clear ice — and maybe even stronger. This winter, BMT will be conducting tests, and at the National Research Council laboratories, researchers will quantify the strength differences between the

Nerys Perry

up front

Skaters in January on the Rideau Canal, Ottawa.

various types of ice to modify the ice load formula accordingly. Razek Abdelnour of BMT Fleet Technology says that the results may allow the canal to be opened earlier, and kept open later, especially during relatively warmer years.

That’s good news for skaters and for Ottawa, which expects to earn $73 million during the three weekends of Winterlude alone.

continued on page 10

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It’s Never Just One Thing.

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January/February 2009

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2/2/09 12:51:09 PM

up front

continued from page 8 WASTEWATER

to have a greater impact on the VOICES FROM THE PAST future practice of engineering.

Canadian Consulting Engineer This impact is only now begincelebrates 50 years! ning to be felt and one of the This year Canadian Consulting Engiearly portends of the future is the neer is celebrating its half-century. urgency attending the work of the The first issue of the magazine newly-formed committee on Elecwas in June 1959, published tronic Computation formed by the Hugh C. MacLean C e l e b r a t i n g by the American Society of company (later SouthCivil Engineers… “If the am) under the guidance present trend continues, years of Carson Morrison as within 10 years most roueditor. Morrison was a tine design will be carried principal of the Toronto 1 9 5 9 - 2 0 0 9 entirely by computer. To consulting engineering firm Canadian engineers who have Morrison Hershfield, which still not yet witnessed what has been occupies offices in the same Toronto occurring in this field south of the area as the magazine’s. border, only one word of advice We’ll be publishing a Special — find out before it is too late!

50th Anniversary Issue in June-July, “An examination of recent techbut watch every issue for “Voices nical literature from both the U.S. from the Past.” and the U.K. reveals that more and more advanced engineering From CCE, July-August 1959: relies on computer methods, i.e.

“Design Revolution has already slope stability computations, space begun: the Electronic Computer frames, elasto-plastic dynamic and its practical use in engineering,” analysis, etc.

by A.M. Lount.

Design studies carried out on the “There have been few engineercomputer can be more thorough, ing tools that have developed as and economies can be achieved that rapidly as the electronic computer would not be possible without such and there are few which are likely thoroughness.”

History

50

Orangeville pilots “revolutionary” wastewater treatment The small town of Orangeville in southwest Ontario is planning to pilot a new wastewater treatment process that eliminates biosolids and could produce electrical power to feed into the grid.

In January the town council agreed in principle to allow local firm Xogen Technologies to test its patented process on a continuous raw sewage flow at the Orangeville Pollution Control Plant.

The technology treats wastewater using an electrolytic process and produces a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen that can be used to generate energy through combustion or a fuel cell. It requires a reduced footprint compared to conventional treatment facilities. Xogen is developing the new process in a consortium with the University of Toronto, Newalta and others, and with government funding. It says the pilot tests are expected to run to 2011 and the results will be independently evaluated.

Xogen believes the technology has the potential “to revolutionize the wastewater treatment process.” continued on page 13

10

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p06-13 CCE Feb_09 Upfront.indd 10

January/February 2009

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up front

continued from page 10

BUSINESS

CCE

Ontario consulting engineer shares his business experience John Gartner, P.Eng., co-founder of the Toronto-based environmental consulting engineering firm Gartner Lee (now part of AECOM), has published Confessions of a Consultant: Survival Business Skills for Scientists & Engineers (2008: Epic John Gartner, P.Eng. Press, Belleville, Ont., 256 pages).

The book is based on sessions Gartner taught as an adjunct pro-

fessor at the University of Waterloo and includes chapters on marketing and business development, project management, collecting money, budgeting work, and appearing as an expert witness.

Gartner’s view is that every service firm is composed of three main types of people: Finders (those people who are good at getting work), Minders (those who manage the work and the money), and Grinders (those who actually do the work.”

See www.essencebookstore.com WASTEWATER

Halifax Harbour plant fails People are no longer swimming

in Halifax Harbour after one of the city’s brand new sewage treatment plants failed. Citizens were already complaining about persistent smells from one of the three new wastewater treatment plants.

Then in mid-January the power systems failed in the downtown plant.

The plant was flooded, millions of gallons of sewage flowed into the harbour and the plant’s electrical systems were damaged.

D & D Water solutions constructed the three advanced primary wastewater treatment plants around the harbour for $332 million. The city had taken ownership of the plant just in December. @ARTICLECATEGORY:671; 652; 655;

call for entries NEW!

TREE OF LIFE AWARD PRIX UN ARBRE À AIMER

2009 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards / Prix canadiens du génie-conseil

Given for the first time in 2008, the Tree of Life Award/Prix Un Arbre à Aimer is for a project that demonstrates outstanding environmental stewardship. The award will be chosen by the jury from projects entered in all categories.

Entries are now invited for the 41st annual awards.

SCHREYER AWARD Continuing the tradition, the Schreyer Award is the top technical award, given to the project that scores highest in the technical categories

PLUS 10 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE Stage 1 deadline: Tuesday, March 31 Notices of Intention to Enter and $225.00 fee.

Stage 2 deadline: Tuesday, May 5 Complete entry binder & Official Entry Form For details (in English and French) and to obtain a Notice of Intention to Enter form, visit www.canadianconsultingengineer.com.

Click on “Awards.”

Contact Bronwen Parsons, Editor, Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine, tel. 416-510-5119, e-mail bparsons@ccemag.com

12

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

p06-13 CCE Feb_09 Upfront.indd 12

Program co-sponsors:

Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) Association des firmes d’ingénierie du Canada (AFIC)

January/February 2009

1/30/09 5:09:49 PM

business

By Sal Bianco and Michael Clifford PricewaterhouseCoopers

Accounting Standards Go Global the shift to international financial reporting practices

Y

ou’ve likely heard that the Canadian Accounting goodwill and stock-based compensations. Despite the Standards Board will require Canadian public Canadian Accounting Standard Board’s current position companies to adopt International Financial Reporting to maintain a Canadian GAAP framework, it is possible we Standards (IFRS) as Canadian generally accepted account- could see a move towards complete harmonization with ing principles (GAAP) starting in 2011.

IFRS in the future.

The move to international standards will fundamentally For some organizations, implementing IFRS will go well change the way Canadian public companies report their beyond the finance and accounting functions. For example, business results. These changes will affect not just investors an IFRS conversion plan could affect other business departin those public companies, but also ments such as human resources, other stakeholders.

The focus of IFRS is mainly business development and informaThe differences between Canation technology. Experience shows on the concept of fair value that it can take anywhere from two dian GAAP and full IFRS can be and less on historical cost. to three years for a company to complex. The key difference is that the focus of IFRS is mainly on the undergo a full conversion to IFRS, concept of fair value and less on historical cost. Also, IFRS depending on the complexity of the organization. is based very much on following principles rather than All companies are being impacted by the globalization of rules, which provides accountants with more room to capital markets and supply chains. But there are many other exercise professional judgment. reasons for considering implementing IFRS. Consider these Some of the areas of key importance to the engineering options if you: and construction sector that will change with the adoption • have an exit strategy that could involve acquisition by an of IFRS include accounting for: IFRS reporter or private equity interest • Property, plant and equipment • are considering going public • Start-up costs • have suppliers or customers across jurisdictions • Borrowing costs • are a subsidiary of a Canadian publicly accountable entity • Impairment of assets (PAE) and possibly face significant systems and internal • Leases control issues if you don’t adopt IFRS • Revenue recognition • are a subsidiary of an IFRS parent • Joint ventures • have or will have in the near future international opera• Business combinations and subsidiaries tions and multiple sources of financing • Derivatives and hedging • have banking agreements that could evolve to require one • Asset retirement obligations common GAAP basis that most likely would be IFRS • Accounting for income taxes • have competitors that use IFRS Some government operations are converting to IFRS, but • hold yourselves to PAE reporting standards voluntarily. others are debating whether the conversion is required.

It is easy to underestimate the volume and complexity Canadian private companies, which include most con- of the work involved with the implementation of IFRS. The sulting engineering companies, are expected to have the scale of the transition means there are decisions to be made option of adopting IFRS. The International Accounting today. By planning ahead companies will not only ensure a Standards Board has published an exposure draft of an smooth transition, but also a more efficient business strucIFRS specifically designed for private companies. How- ture going forward. cce ever, the Canadian Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) is currently also developing a GAAP framework for private Sal Bianco is a partner and national IFRS leader for engineercompanies, which will mirror the IFRS GAAP but will be ing and construction at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Toronto. simplified in certain areas, including capital disclosures, Michael Clifford is the national leader, engineering and construcfuture income taxes, employee future benefits, leases, tion at the company. See www.pwcifrs.ca and www.pwc.com/ca/ec @ARTICLECATEGORY:668;

January/February 2009

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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ACEC review

Chair’s Message

Our Most Important Resource – Our People

F

or a number of years now our industry has experienced an increasing shortage of skilled staff.

In response to this, member firms of ACEC have stepped up their individual recruitment campaigns, and the association itself has identified Human Resources Sustainability as a key area of focus. The principal aspect of this effort is the video project that is reported on later in this ACEC Review.

With the current uncertainty that surrounds the world economy, and signs of a short-term decline in demand for new staff, consulting firms should not lose sight of their ultimate long-term best interests. We must maintain continuity in our campaign to attract the best and brightest engineering students into the consulting industry every single year.

By early April this year ACEC will have distributed DVD’s of the completed video in modular format to all member firms and to universities across the country, as well as making it available on the web. ACEC will simultaneously launch a communications campaign that will include presentations at major universities planned for the fall of 2009. I urge member firms to actively support this campaign through their provincial association, and to use modules from the video in their companies’ individual recruitment campaigns.

And above all, continue to provide employment for graduating students whenever possible. We all know the painful downstream consequences when the consulting industry misses out on an entire generation of engineering students. Let’s not allow that to happen again.

CHRIS NEWCOMB, P.ENG., Chair, Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC)

Message du Président du conseil

Notre ressource la plus importante – nos gens

D

epuis quelques années, notre industrie fait face à une pénurie croissante de personnel qualifié. En réponse à cette situation, les firmes membres de l’AFIC ont accéléré leurs campagnes de recrutement individuelles et l’association elle-même a placé le maintien des ressources humaines parmi ses priorités. L’aspect principal de cet effort est le projet de DVD dont on parle plus loin dans ce numéro.

Malgré l’incertitude actuelle de la situation économique mondiale et des signes d’une baisse à court terme de la demande pour de nouveaux employés, les firmes de génieconseil ne devraient pas perdre de vue leurs meilleurs intérêts à long terme. C’est pourquoi nous devons poursuivre notre campagne pour attirer, tous les ans, les meilleurs étudiants en génie au sein de notre industrie.

D’ici le début avril, l’AFIC aura distribué son DVD en

format modulaire à toutes les firmes membres et à toutes les universités du pays, en plus de le rendre accessible sur le Web. L’AFIC lancera en même temps une campagne de communication qui comprendra des présentations dans les grandes universités à l’automne 2009. J’invite les firmes membres à appuyer cette campagne par le biais de leurs associations provinciales et à utiliser les modules du DVD dans leurs campagnes de recrutement individuelles.

Par-dessus tout, nous devons continuer d’embaucher de nouveaux diplômés dans toute la mesure du possible.

Nous connaissons les pénibles conséquences en bout de ligne lorsque l’industrie passe à côté de toute une génération d’étudiants en génie. Il nous faut éviter que cette situation se reproduise.

CHRIS NEWCOMB, P.ENG., PRéSIDENT DU CONSEIL Association des firmes d’ingénierie du Canada (AFIC)

ACEC Member Organizations: Association of Canadian Engineering Companies of British Columbia, Consulting Engineers of Yukon, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Consulting Engineers of Northwest Territories, Consulting Engineers of Saskatchewan, Consulting Engineers of Manitoba, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, Association des Ingénieurs-conseils du Québec, Association of Canadian Engineering Companies of New Brunswick, Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, Consulting Engineers of Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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ACEC review

ACEC Applauds Federal Infrastructure Investment, Looks Now to Implementation

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CEC expressed its strong support for the infrastructure investment measures introduced in the January 27, 2009 federal Budget. The federal government announced over $12 billion in new infrastructure investments over the next two years for infrastructure, in addition to $2 billion for social housing. Once leveraged by provinces and other sources, total new funds going into infrastructure over two years is in excess of $20 billion. These amounts are over and above other infrastructure measures introduced primarily in the 2007 federal Budget. Those measures are expected to add almost $9 billion in additional federal funding for infrastructure. More information on these measures can be found on the ACEC website.

Clearly this is good news for the consulting engineering community. ACEC played a key role in the development of the Budget with Finance Canada, Transport and Infrastructure Canada, and other stakeholders. ACEC will continue to monitor and intervene where

appropriate as the budget measures move from policy to implementation. A few of the issues ACEC has addressed, and will address over the coming weeks and months, include: In December 2008, ACEC was informed of concerns within the Prime Minister’s Office and Finance Canada regarding the capacity of the engineering sector to tackle greater volumes of infrastructure work. In response, ACEC surveyed its member firms, and given an unprecedented amount of feedback, ACEC was able to categorically state to the federal government that consulting engineering firms did indeed have enough capacity to handle increased project loads. Due to current and expected downturns in a number of industry sectors, many firms stated that they were beginning to experience the subsequent fallout, and as a result, capacity constraints were not an issue.

ACEC has also recommended that the federal government require recipients of federal infrastructure funds to outsource work in order to provide for a true stimulative effect.

Moving forward, ACEC has called for a private sector stakeholder meeting with Infrastructure Minister John Baird to discuss how governments at all levels can better streamline the infrastructure approvals process and ensure that procurement decisions, particularly for professional services, are based on best practices as enunciated in the InfraGuide Best Practices for Selecting a Professional Consultant.

ACEC Human Resources Video Project - Update

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CEC is proud to announce that the “Engineering Legacies” campaign promoting consulting engineering to students will be complete in February of 2009. The campaign will include a set of video modules showcasing various young consulting engineers and their projects, a complete website application, exhibition material, promotional flyers, a highlight reel, DVD’s of the video modules, and a communications plan for implementation.

In anticipation of this release, ACEC presented to the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES) at

their annual congress in early January. There, the students were presented with a highlight reel of the videos to come, and an interactive presentation delivered by ACEC’s Chair, Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., and ACEC’s Director of Public Affairs and Business Practices, Susie Grynol, both members of the ACEC Video Task Force responsible for the research and production of the video project.

In its final form, the website will feature video modules in both official languages to encourage students to join the ranks of consulting engineering. In addition, the website will act

as a resource tool for students as they research our industry. Perhaps most important is the ACEC Member Firm search engine which will drive students directly to a firm’s website for employment inquiries.

In the coming year, ACEC will be actively promoting the “Engineering Legacies” campaign at universities across the country, career fairs, engineering summits, competitions and through a variety of web 2.0 applications.

Once again, ACEC would like to sincerely thank its generous sponsors for supporting this project.

To find out more, contact Susie Grynol at sgrynol@acec.ca or 1-613236-0569 x203. To view the highlight reel, see www.engineeringlegacies.com

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ACEC review

ACEC Sets Its Course Through New 3-Year Strategic Plan

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n November 2008, ACEC conducted a full day Strategic Planning exercise in conjunction with its regular Board meeting in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The exercise reaffirmed ACEC’s principal mission and vision

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statements, but also provided some key action items and strategies to address a number of the industry’s topmost issues of concern.

The four key areas of focus included:

• Raising the profile and prestige of the consulting engineering industry with the federal government and industr y clients. Com­ munications activities and relationship-building will be enhanced with key stakeholders at the political level, bureaucratic level, and with key owners groups. Key messages will be developed showcasing consulting engineers as key partners and valued professionals.

• Improve procurement practices. ACEC will use new research and other material to present a fresh case to owners to utilize the InfraGuide Best Practices document and Qualifications Based Selection procurement. Outreach strategies will be developed to communicate directly with both public and private sector owners, as well as the consulting engineering industry itself.

• Ensure human resources sustainability. With the release of the student outreach video and the accompanying roll out communications plan, ACEC will be assigning great importance to promoting the consulting engineering industry as a career of choice to youth. ACEC will also coordinate best practices in human resources, particularly with the challenges presented by a new generation of workers.

• Assist our member firms to prosper. ACEC will work cooperatively with provincial associations to launch a process aimed at improving fees and remuneration. Furthermore, ACEC will strengthen its efforts to promote federal investment in infrastructure and to divert a greater share of Canadian foreign aid into project-based funding.

Once a final implementation plan is approved, ACEC will be providing regular reports through the ACEC Board of Directors and at the Annual General Meeting on the progress of the plan’s implementation and on what results have been realized.

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ACEC review

ACEC Submits Brief on Foreign Aid

Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards

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Buy your ticket today!

February 24, 2009

T

he ACEC Awards 2008 Gala evening is set to take place at the luxurious Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario on the evening of February 24, 2009. This annual celebration of the best and brightest within the Canadian consulting engineering industry promises to be an evening of celebration, entertainment, and a chance to network with industry and political leaders.

Themed “Opening Night on Broadway,” the Awards Gala gala will feature an array of dazzling musical entertainment to delight your senses.

Also new will be the first ever presentation of the “Tree of Life” Award, which will honour a project that has excelled in environmental engineering and design.

Mark down February 24 on your calendars and join your peers in the consulting engineering industry for the Awards Gala.

It’s also not too early to start thinking about submitting a project for the 2009 Awards – check www. canadianconsultingengineer.com for more information.

To purchase tickets for the February 24 event, visit www.acec.ca.

Attend the First Ever National Engineering Summit!

May 19-21, 2009 – Montreal

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s part of a coalition effort, Engineers Canada, the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies, the Engineering Institute of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students, and the National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science will host Canada’s first National Engineering Summit at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montréal from May 19 to 21.

Participants from the health, en-

vironment, infrastructure and industrial sectors as well as academia will have the opportunity to identify, with the engineering profession, steps to affect positive change for a healthier, c l e a n e r, s a f e r, more competitive and sustainable Canada in a global society.

The Summit will provide a venue to develop insights for a cohesive engineering profession to better a society which entrusts it with great responsibility for the technology systems that will serve the future.

n December 2008, Finance Canada launched a consultation to examine Canada’s foreign aid policy — in particular, whether the policy was meeting its stated goals of poverty reduction and improvement in living conditions for the poor. ACEC submitted a brief under this consultation process arguing for changes in the way in which Canada provides assistance to developing countries.

ACEC’s brief pointed to the need for the federal government — and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in particular — to reorient its international assistance funding model away from unaccountable forms of assistance such as debt relief into more tangible, accountable, project-based forms of relief. The brief points out the benefits of a project-based foreign aid model over debt relief or arrears clearance: • Debt relief is, by its nature, unaccountable, and therefore may result in no net benefit to populations.

Project-based funding ensures that local populations receive the direct benefit of the project immediately.

• Project-based funding can contribute to global sustainability solutions, particularly with projects such as mass transit, clean energy, and other sustainable infrastructure solutions.

• At a time when the federal government is looking for means to stimulate the national economy without having to incur additional expenses, project-based foreign aid using the expertise of Canadian engineers is an ideal stimulative tool. No new money would be required — simply a reallocation of existing federal government resources.

ACEC has requested a meeting with International Development Minister Bev Oda to discuss these ideas, and to hear her thoughts on shifting Canadian foreign aid.

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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books & energy

a hot & crowded place

Review by Lee Norton, P.Eng.

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process of de-industrialization that can come about as a result of a natural resource windfall. We witnessed this phenomenon in Canada recently, when Alberta’s oil raised the value of our currency and manufacturing in Ontario Above and above right: details from the book cover illustration. suffered.

The world’s energy de­mands do not grow linearly with population growth, Friedman writes, but they grow exponentially, as the rise in the standard of living for China’s growing middle class, for example, has demonstrated. He discusses the moral, economic and environmental dilemma we face in eradicating poverty in Third World countries, when doing so will increase the world’s energy needs by a factor of 11.

It is sobering to think of the carbon footprint that will result from a more equitable world unless we change from carbon-based fuels.

The hope that Friedman offers is his belief that future energy will come from electricity developed

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

T

homas L. Friedman is a three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize who serves as foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. His most recent book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution — and How It Can Renew America,1 & 2 is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding what is happening in our world. The book covers climate change and bio-diversity, but also political change, the rising power of developing countries and the rise in the standard of living of some of the world’s poorest people. Friedman also talks about the challenges of population growth, and China.

Friedman argues that we are now entering the EnergyClimate Era. As with the Industrial and Computer Revolutions, it will be the countries that embrace this revolution that will dominate in the future.

Having travelled extensively, Friedman shares his understanding of world cultures and how they affect our present and future. His explanation of how levels of democracy and freedom are lowered in oil producing countries when the price of crude oil goes up is both enlightening and frightening. As he points out, when all you have to do is drill, you don’t need education or an informed and thinking public.

He explains “Dutch Disease,” or the resource curse, a

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from a distributed network of renewable energy sources, rather than from our current archaic system of large central generating stations.

He is against large central stations partly because they leave the grid open to damage and extensive outages from storms or terrorism. A distributed network of smaller generating stations would be much more reliable, he says, and in today’s digital age we now have the ability to monitor and control such a system with minimum manpower.

Presently we are using mid-20th century analog controls with a human interface to control our stations, he says, but in the future a digital two-way network will flatten the valleys and peaks of the present system, allowing for cheaper and more reliable power.

While some governments such as India, China, Indonesia and countries in the Middle East continue to subsidize fossil fuels out of fear of a political backlash, Friedman points out that others are moving ahead with renewable green energy, and helping — not hurting — their economies. Denmark, Spain and Germany, for example, have imposed portfolio standards requiring utilities to provide a certain amount of their power from wind power. Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Portugal and Germany all have

similar tariff markets that fix the price of renewable energy by law, allowing for renewable energy companies to succeed.

Germany guarantees tax credits for solar technologies for 20 years to ensure companies in renewable energy remain competitive. Japan guarantees such tax credits for 12 years. In contrast, neither the U.S. nor Canada offers guaranteed tax credits for renewable energy and each is at the mercy of fossil fuel cost variations that leave Above: Thomas L. Friedman investors nervous.

After clearly defining all the issues and the consequences of a larger population, Friedman offers a daunting account of what has to be done to save ourselves from an energy and environmental disaster. He warns that the challenges posed by the Energy-Climate Era “can’t be solved at the level of current political thinking.”

He warns: “We are not yet in a Green Revolution, we are at a Green Party. When everyone claims to embrace your cause, you should suspect that you have not really defined the problem.“ Friedman’s book offers great insight, induces fear, and ultimately, gives some hope that with better political choices, humanity can survive. cce

Lee Norton, P.Eng. semi-retired, was a principal with TMP Niagara in St. Catharines, Ontario. He is an editorial advisor to Canadian Consulting Engineer.

Nancy Ostertag

In Hot, Flat and Crowded, New York author Thomas L. Friedman sees the world entering a new Climate-Energy Era with far-reaching political and cultural consequences.

1 Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (New York: 2008), distributed in Canada by Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver, 438 pages.

2 Among Friedman’s other best-known books are The World is Flat, a Brief History of the 21st Century (2005); From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989), published in more than 27 languages and now used as a basic textbook on the Middle East, and The Lexus and the Olive Tree (1999), which won the 2000 Overseas Press Club Award for best non-fiction book on foreign policy and was translated into 20 languages. @ARTICLECATEGORY:655; 657; 663;

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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transportation

In the mountains of B.C., avalanche expert Alan Jones works with geotechnical engineers and designers to keep the roads free of deadly snow falls.

AvalanchE

Territory

By Heather Kent

F

or avalanche engineers like Alan Jones, P.Eng., British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway represents the Holy Grail of avalanche design work. Opened in time for Expo ’86, the highway goes through “some pretty impressive avalanche terrain,” says Jones. He credits Peter Shaerer, P.Eng. -- “the grandfather of avalanche work in Canada” -- for his work in identifying the avalanche hazards and helping decide on the route. Shaerer also recommended mitigating measures such as an above-surface snow-shed (a protective concrete roof over the highway) and earth-filled deflection berms. With the notable exception of a massive snowfall in the winter of 2007 that closed the Coquihalla route for eight days, few avalanches have caused major disruptions on the highway.

Jones is an associate with Chris Stethem & Associates in Revelstoke, B.C. He is one of a handful of engineers in the province currently specializing in the mitigation of avalanche hazards for various types of projects, including highways.

Jones began his career as a geotechnical engineer before moving to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s snow avalanche program in Stewart, B.C. He also completed a master’s degree in avalanche mechanics at the University of Calgary, and worked at the Canadian Avalanche Centre for three years, managing a team of avalanche forecasters. Now, as a consultant, Jones spends some of his time integrating his skills in avalanche risk prevention 20

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with work on locating and designing roads and facilities. He works with clients as varied as the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, private run-of-river hydroelectricity companies, and ski resort developers.

Sizing up the problem Avalanche forecasting involves looking at how snow, rain, wind and air temperature interact with the snow pack. The relationship between these variables is complicated, and the underlying causes of avalanches are still only moderately well understood. To help with these forecasts, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure staff obtain weather data from electronic stations monitoring 60 avalanche prone areas throughout the province.

The B.C. Ministry has set a threshold for determining their preventive program, Jones explains. If an avalanche big enough to bury a vehicle is expected to occur at a location along the highway more frequently than every 30 years, then the Ministry will activate mitigation measures such as temporary road closures, explosive controls, and sometimes structural defences.

One of the most common methods of avalanche control for highways is carried out by launching explosives from helicopters. The Ministry has also recently begun using fixed, remotely fired GazEx exploders placed at Kootenay Pass on Highway 3, near the U.S. border.

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Left: Jones making snowpack observations near Powell River on the west coast of B.C. Above: forest destroyed by a large, wet avalanche in a gully near Campbell River in the Coast Mountain Range.

Photos by Kevin Fogolin, Alan Jones, Chris Stethem Assoc.

“This is a place where they put the highway on the wrong side of the valley with respect to avalanche hazards and we have had to live with the repercussions ever since,” says Jones. The exploder technology can be used to set off controlled avalanches during weather conditions when helicopter flying may not be possible.

Prevent a landslide; create an avalanche Recently Jones has been collaborating more closely with geotechnical engineers in dealing with combined landslide and avalanche risks: “This collaboration was rarely done in the past,” he says. Engineers designing a new road will often cut a new slope above the road at around 35 degrees in order to mitigate the chances of a landslide impacting the road, but in doing so they may inadvertently create ideal conditions for creating avalanches, Jones explains.

With this clear overlap in their work, Jones’ cooperation with geotechnical engineers makes sense. For example, on the Kicking Horse Canyon section of the Trans Canada Highway, Jones is working in the same area with geotechnical engineers on rockfall hazards and the potential for avalanche risks, as well as on the future alignment of new construction.

Two years ago, he provided input into the design of a 7.5 metre high wall to prevent avalanches and rockfalls reaching

the road west of the Yoho River. The goal, says Jones, was to provide a permanent mitigating solution, which is all part of a recent trend towards building engineered structures to allow the Ministry of Transportation to phase out an active monitoring program on this section of the highway. While geotechnical engineers predicted the potential impact pressures of rock falling on the wall, Jones determined the potential effect of an avalanche on the structure. “Avalanches were the determining factor on the strength of the wall. Even though rocks are denser, avalanches come out at quite a high speed,” he explains, adding that the estimated speed of the design avalanche was over 60 km/hr.

In another project Alan worked on, potential new avalanche terrain was created at Springer Creek, near New Denver. “This is one of the interesting parts of this work,” says Jones. “Conditions change all the time and new avalanche terrain is created every now and then.” A 3,000hectare fire in 2007 stripped the Springer Creek area of avalanche-preventing forest. Jones was hired to investigate the potential for avalanches to impact the highway, and he recommended future monitoring. The following spring, the combination of spring runoff and unstable ground contributed to a mud slide 9 metres deep on the highway. The debris field cut off Highway 6 and killed one person. But avalanches have not reached the road, and the Ministry of Transportation will monitor this area in the future.

Future highway construction in Canada will incorporate improved planning and alignment with more engineered, fixed structures, Jones predicts. He refers again to the work of Peter Shaerer on the Coquihalla Highway with its snowshed and berms. “He did such a good job with the design,” he says. cce Heather Kent is a writer on the environment, based in West Vancouver. @ARTICLECATEGORY:652;

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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transportation Familiar in Europe for decades, roundabouts are starting to be used across North America and transportation engineers are becoming skilled in their design.

Roundabouts Ahead!

By Martin HĂŠtu, P.Eng. and Eric Peissel, GENIVAR

Above: approaching a roundabout designed by Genivar in Chambly, Quebec.

D

uring the last few years roundabouts have become more and more popular as a safe alternate way of controlling traffic at major intersections. Yet only a few years ago many North American engineers and planners were very resistant to this new traffic control device.

European countries as well as Australia have been working on optimising roundabout design for decades. Now, with the introduction in June 2000 of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s Roundabouts: An Information Guide, the U.S. and Canada have begun building roundabouts from coast to coast.

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Unfortunately, several roadway professionals and designers still confuse a modern roundabout with traffic circles or rotaries. Yet the differences between these two types of traffic control devices are enormous, both in terms of roadway geometry and operational rules. For example, a roundabout has a diameter that is smaller than traffic circles and usually does not exceed 70 metres. Furthermore, roundabouts give priority to those vehicles that are already on the annular roadway as opposed to those entering.

Even in Europe where roundabouts have been implemented for years, giving priority to traffic already proceed-

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transportation

Right: roundabout in Beloeil, Quebec, designed by Genivar and opened in the fall of 2008.

ing around the circle is relatively new. The pioneer in roundabouts, the United Kingdom, changed the rules in the late 1960s, but France changed the rules only in 1983.

In America this concept of giving priority to traffic already on the annular roadway has been difficult for drivers to accept because of the more widespread use of traffic circles. Nevertheless, it’s important to realize that modern roundabouts have a much better capacity for handling traffic then the old rotaries.

allow heavy vehicles like trucks to make large turning movements, most notably left-turns, which are very penalizing to the land requirements for more conventional intersection designs.

Not a miracle solution However, roundabouts are not a miracle solution. This type of traffic control device should not be implemented on a synchronized arterial in order not to lose the advantage of synchronizing the traffic lights.

Fewer potential accidents. Less stopping Furthermore roundabouts are ineffective at intersections The geometric configuration of roundabouts forces drivers where traffic volumes are heavily unbalanced (ratios of 10:1 to reduce their speeds as they enter the intersection. This fea- or more), and in areas with steep slopes of more than 6%. ture makes it easier for drivers to be able to merge onto the In addition, the right-of-way land requirements for this roundabout. Roundabouts type of traffic control device also facilitate pedestrian Designing roundabouts is not as easy are often more severe than crossings, and most imporas with conventional intersections. for traditional intersections, tantly reduce the severity of especially in urban environThere is no “one size fits all” ments. In more rural and accidents. The number of vehicular conflict points, as recipe that guarantees success. suburban areas, however, well as pedestrian/vehicle the land requirement for and cyclist/vehicle conflicts, is greatly reduced when com- roundabouts can be offset by reducing the number of auxilpared to conventional intersections. Roundabouts have iary lanes at the approaches to intersections (no left-turn and only eight vehicular conflict points, while a standard cross right-turn lanes), as opposed to more traditional designs. intersection has 32.

Since vehicles approaching a roundabout do not have Design not as easy as it seems to stop due to the fact that they are controlled using yield Designing roundabouts is not as easy as with conventional signs, there is also a reduction in delays and unwarranted intersections. There is no “one size fits all” recipe that guarstops. The potentially continuous flow of vehicles across antees success. In fact, despite decades of development in intersections via a roundabout translates into a reduction Europe, roundabout design is still evolving. in both gas consumption and tailpipe emissions -- hence The key to a good design is ensuring that drivers are environmental benefits. Traffic signals might run over a full forced to slow down upon entering the roundabout with the 24-hour period even when their use is not warranted, but deflection of the approach (see figure 1). roundabouts, due to the way conflicts are managed, allow This deflection ensures a safer merge into the rounddelays to be reduced at all periods of the day. A key advan- about and improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Howtage of roundabouts, therefore, is that they allow an opti- ever, the design also needs to take into account the local mized traffic flow throughout the day, while traffic lights context, topography, and the traffic composition. can cause unnecessary delays during off-peak periods.

The annular circle should be kept as small as posAnother important benefit of roundabouts is that they continued on page 24 January/February 2009

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transportation

continued from page 23

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 1. Deflection to help slow vehicles on the approach.

Figure 2. Example of vehicle path overlap.

Source: FHWA, An Informational Guide.

sible, but ensuring that the design is operable taking into account the number of large trucks and buses.

Furthermore, the geometry of the approaches needs to be examined, since many intersections do not offer perfect 90 degree angles and the centre and position of the roundabout need to take this into account.

In addition, the designers need to analyze what type of users access the

intersection, in order to determine whether the provision of crosswalks and even bike paths is necessary.

In heavily trafficked areas, particular attention needs to be paid when multi-lane roundabouts are required. This type of design must be carefully developed in order to avoid the overlap of vehicle paths within the circle. Currently, the design and roadway markings of

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these types of roundabouts are still evolving. Special care must be taken when the approaches and annular circle are large, since this design can encourage higher speeds.

In conclusion, roundabouts are a traffic control device that transportation experts must consider when designing or redesigning an intersection, or when changing how an intersection is managed. While they do have limitations, roundabouts have many advantages when compared to conventional traffic signal controlled intersections, especially when there are a heavy number of left-turn movements.

Will engineering consultants convince planners and designers to add roundabouts to their traffic control tool-box? If we do succeed, we must ensure that they are properly equipped with the knowledge on how to implement roundabouts that are effective and safe in the context of their environment. cce Martin Hétu, P.Eng. is vice-president transport, western Quebec for GENIVAR, based in Montréal. Eric Peissel is director of traffic and transportation planning for GENIVAR, in Montréal Resources: Roundabouts: An Information Guide, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), June 2000.

Synthesis of North American Roundabout Practice. Prepared for Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), September 2006.

Le carrefour giratoire: un mode de gestion différent. Ministère des Transports du Québec, 2002. @ARTICLECATEGORY:652;

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transportation

Séguin ingénierie

Roundabout at

The first major roundabout in the province of Quebec merges two traffic arteries from downtown Montreal onto a bridge going north.

Bout-de-l’Ile

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odern roundabouts remain relatively rare in Canada. At the time the “Carrefour giratoire du Boutde-l’Ile” was constructed on the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal, Quebec had only 10 roundabouts, most of them small and with little traffic. This roundabout is designed to carry 30,000 vehicles a day and is located at a key traffic gateway.

While they may look similar to the ancient traffic circles of the 1950s, roundabouts operate quite differently. Traffic circles often included traffic lights in order to control the various movements, whereas with roundabouts, vehicles entering the circulatory roadway must yield to those already in it, eliminating unnecessary stopping and making it a safer and more efficient option.

Designed by Séguin ingénierie as the prime consultant, the Bout-de-l’Ile roundabout is located at the intersection of Sherbrooke and Notre Dame Streets, two major Montreal arteries, near where they merge onto Le Gardeur Bridge.

The Gardeur is one of only two bridges linking this area of Montreal Island to the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River, the other being Charles De Gaulle bridge. The roundabout therefore sits at the starting point of the road network onto Montreal Island and downtown. To continued on page 26

Left: the roundabout replaced an elevated interchange; beyond is the Le Gardeur bridge, with a railway bridge to its left.

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continued from page 25

Left: the roundabout is a creative three branch circle with bypass lanes that increase the smooth traffic flow; a mountable apron at the centre allows oversize trucks to pass.

Above: plan of area.

the north is the bridge and Highway 138, which extends all the way along the north shore of the St. Lawrence to Trois-Rivières and Quebec City.

The idea of a roundabout leading to this important bridge crossing was first viewed with concern due to the negative opinion that many people had of traffic circles.

However the idea gained acceptance and won the support of city of Montreal authorities, who resolved to make the roundabout a model for this type of highway construction.

Three branch circle In order to process the heavy traffic, the roundabout was designed in the form of a three-branch circle flanked by two bypass lanes. The combination of roundabout and bypass lanes is a creative configuration that ensures high traffic capacity while substantially reducing the average vehicle speed, which has dropped from 70 km/h to 35 km/h.

The bypass lanes, one from Le Gardeur Bridge toward Sherbrooke Street and the other from Notre-Dame Street toward Le Gardeur Bridge, help to prevent the roundabout from blocking traffic in the morning and evening rush hours. The presence of two lanes in the circulatory roadway also allows for ample traffic flow and provides sufficient width for large semi-trailers. In addition, a mountable apron, or curb, at the centre of the roundabout allows for the passage of oversized trucks that require greater width than the two available lanes.

Pedestrian sidewalks and crossings were incorporated into the design. The sidewalks follow the shape of the roundabout, with pedestrian crossings at the entry and exit

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lanes. Pedestrians can cross in several stages over narrow lanes, thanks to the refuge provided by the splitter islands at the centre of each branch.

The roundabout’s geometry and design allow large surface areas to be reserved for landscaping. While the total paved surface of a roundabout is about equal to that of an ordinary intersection, the roundabout design allows for more space between lanes, thus breaking down the mass of pavement.

The landscape design was influenced by the historic and heritage character of the area, and incorporates the same kinds of plants that grew when the lands were a seigneurial domain.

Innovations in lighting and signage include the use of special street lamps at pedestrian crossings. LED chevrons, whose intensity can be adjusted to different ambient levels, are placed on the centre island. There are also remotely controlled safety cameras, accessible via a dedicated web site, to allow operators to monitor traffic in real time.

The final cost for the project was $10 million, including demolition of the old elevated interchange it replaced.

The project was completed on schedule between July 2005 and July 2006.

The project won a 2007 award from the Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec (AICQ). cce Client: City of Montreal Prime consultant: Seguin ingénierie (Yvan Coté, ing., Éric Fortier, ing, Stephan Kellner, ing., Peter Soland)

@ARTICLECATEGORY:652;

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water treatment

New technologies are being developed to deal with emerging contaminants such as pharmaceutical products and endocrine disrupting compounds in our drinking water

Advanced Oxidation Processes

By Linda Wojcicka,

m

m.a.sc.,

E l i a E d w a r d s, p . e n g . , Q u i n n C r o s i n a ,

any emerging contaminants, including some pharmaceutical and personal care products, endocrine disrupting compounds, and industrial contaminants, as well as naturally occurring taste and odour compounds, cannot be removed efficiently from water by conventional treatment. The need to remove or degrade these contaminants has led to the application of alternative treatment processes. One such group of processes is Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). A number of AOP technologies have been identified, though many of these are either in their infancy, or have been used only in remediation applications.

Various criteria are used in selecting the appropriate AOP technology, including: • experience to date with the technology at full scale • capability and experience to date with treating potable water vs. other types such as wastewater, etc.

• process integration • previously documented AOP treatment performance treating the contaminant of interest • regulatory approval of AOP technology • ancillary considerations such as chemicals, power and residuals management.

This article provides an overview of advanced oxidation mechanisms and highlights some emerging technologies used for trace contaminant removal and taste and odour control.

m.a.sc.

— A s s o c i at e d E n g i n ee r i n g

Generating the hydroxyl radical The key to all AOPs is generating a highly reactive species, the hydroxyl radical (OH•).

The various processes differ as to which chemical or catalyst is used to generate the hydroxyl radical and the means to initiate the reaction. Some processes use ultraviolet (UV) light energy as part of the process, such as UV/H2O2, and some use catalysts such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). Other processes use ozone (O3), usually in combination with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The type or the extent of AOP treatment will determine the degree to which a contaminant will be mineralized.

The rate of oxidation or degradation of a target pollutant is dependent on three main factors: the concentration of radicals, oxygen concentration, and the concentration of the target pollutant. Maintaining a sufficient radical concentration in the water matrix is dependant on pH, temperature, the presence of ions in solution, the type of pollutant targeted, and finally the presence and concentration of radical scavengers.1 Compounds that are sensitive to photochemical transformation may be degraded with UV light alone in a process called direct photolysis. Many other compounds, however, are poor absorbers of UV radiation and require the oxidizing power of hydroxyl radicals before they will degrade. During the UV/H2O2 process, the key mechanism continued on page 28 January/February 2009

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water treatment

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is the cleavage of peroxide molecules into hydroxyl radicals2, which then react with contaminants. This process, termed indirect photolysis, has been proven effective in the removal of several different organic pollutants, including some emerging trace contaminants (e.g. some pharmaceuticals and personal care products, endocrine disruptors, and industrial contaminants), as well as taste and odour compounds.

The UV/H 2O 2 process typically requires a substantially higher UV dose than would be used for disinfection alone, and it is thus more energy intensive. Several factors affect the efficiency of this process, some of which include the UV lamp type, UV fluence, mixing efficiency, and water quality characteristics. It is also important to optimize the hydrogen peroxide dosage, as it must be present in sufficient quantities to

produce high levels of hydroxyl radicals, yet it can also be a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals.

Still other technologies are emerging in the drinking water industry that also incorporate the use of a catalyst with UV light, termed photocatalysis. The catalyst absorbs light and promotes thermodynamic reactions without undergoing change to itself.3 Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most popular catalyst used, typically in the form of a powder slurry. A centrifugation or microfiltration step is needed for subsequent TiO2 particle separation and recycling.

Advanced oxidation processes using ozone and hydrogen peroxide, termed peroxone, are also used in the water treatment industry to remove pollutants and taste and odour compounds. This process requires more space and an additional chemical system compared to the UV-based AOPs.

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Hydrogen peroxide can be added before, after, or concurrently with ozone. The preferred sequence of addition depends on the treatment goals, i.e. if ozone is being used both as a direct oxidant and disinfectant, as well as serving as a source of hydroxyl radicals, or if the goal is to deter the formation of undesirable by-products.

Affecting the efficiency of this process is competition for the ozone: not all ozone reacts with the H2O2 present.

Water quality considerations Several water quality parameters will impact the efficiency of an AOP technology. Radical scavengers are chemicals that compete for hydroxyl radicals, thereby impeding the hydroxyl radicals’ ability to react with the contaminant of interest and adversely impacting the efficiency of the process. Bicarbonate, alkalinity, and chloride are common radical scavengers and the extent of their scavenging potential is dependent on general water quality parameters such as pH, temperature and organic levels.

The selection of AOP technologies should also consider the potential of byproduct formation. All AOP technologies have drawbacks and are not appropriate for all types of source water conditions. For example, ozonebased technologies may not be suitable for waters containing bromide, [since they could result in] the undesirable byproduct, bromate.

Quenching residuals AOPs that use hydrogen peroxide as part of their treatment leave a certain amount of the peroxide in the treated water because not all of the peroxide is consumed during the process. In typical full-scale installations, 70-80% of the hydrogen peroxide dose can be expected to remain in the treated water as residual. Depending on the peroxide dose required, this [residual} can have a significant impact on cost, the overall treatment train, and water quality. To quench residual hydrogen peroxide in the treated water, chlorine is typically used. Granular activatcontinued on page 30

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January/February 2009

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water treatment

continued from page 28

ed carbon (GAC) can also be used to quench peroxide residual, at a greater capital and maintenance cost.

Plant retrofits An important step prior to proceeding with the conceptual design of a retrofit at a water treatment facility is to identify the treatment objectives, select the preferred AOP and identify the preferred process location within the overall treatment [train].

To enable this to occur, various other considerations regarding the installation and design must be established for the various preferred AOPs through the bench- and pilot-scale testing initiatives. These considerations include: • impact on upstream and downstream treatment process performance • overall plant hydraulics and existing equipment operating capabilities • equipment requirements and sensitivity to contaminant increases • physical location of AOP facility considering existing site restrictions • impact on operations and maintenance activities.

Cost issues The costs of full-scale AOP installations are dependent on the pollutant type and concentration, the effluent flow rate, and the reactor configuration4. Since the efficiency of the process is strongly dependent on the raw water quality, it is difficult to compare costs of the different AOPs in broad

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terms. Few reports have discussed this type of direct comparison.

Costs for photochemical degradation processes are typically compared using the EEO (electrical energy per order, kWh/m3/order) reactor efficiency parameter. EEO measures the amount of energy required to achieve a 1-log reduction of pollutant per 1 m3 of water, allowing for comparative economic analyses between various AOPs.5 However, EE/O values will again be specific to the water and contaminant combination for which they were determined, as they will depend on several water quality parameters 6.

Due to the number of influencing factors, full-scale costs should be estimated based on bench and/or pilot scale studies on a case by case basis. The cost of residuals management for each process should also be considered.

Taste and odour In many cases, advanced oxidation processes may prove to be more effective than conventional water treatment processes at removing taste and odour compounds as well as several trace organic contaminants. There are typically two reaction pathways involved: one is a direct reaction with the original mechanism (e.g. oxidation by ozone or photolysis by UV), and a second is oxidation by the hydroxyl radical. For the most part, AOPs are advantageous over conventional treatment when the hydroxyl

radical significantly dominates the degradation reactions for the contaminants of concern. There are several design and implementation factors to consider and thus AOPs should be assessed on a case-specific basis. cce Linda Wojcicka, M.A.Sc. and Elia Edwards, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. are with Associated Engineering’s water division in Toronto. Quinn Crosina, M.A.Sc. is in Associated Engineering’s Burnaby, B.C. office.

1

Parsons, S., and M. Williams. 2004. Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment. Parsons, S. (ed). IWA Publishing, London, UK. 2 Legrini, O., E. Oliveros, and A.M. Braun.

1993. Photochemical processes for water treatment. Chemical Reviews. 93: 671-698.

3 Mills, A., and S.K. Lee. 2004. Semiconductor Photocatalysis. In: Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment. Parsons, S. (ed). IWA Publishing, London, UK. 4 Andreozzi, R., V. Caprio, A. Insola, and R. Marotta. 1999. Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for water purification and recovery.

Catalysis Today. 53: 51-59.

5 Stefan, M.I., and C.T. Williamson. 2004.

UV light-based applications. In: Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment. Parsons, S. (ed). IWA Publishing, London, UK. 6 Huck, P. M., W. A. Anderson, S. A. Andrews, G. Pereira, C. L. Lang. 1996. Evaluating the feasibility of advanced oxidation processes for removal of geosmin. WQTC Conference Proceedings. (1996) AWWA. @ARTICLECATEGORY:655; 652;

January/February 2009

1/30/09 4:34:01 PM

engineers & the law

By Tamara Farber, Toronto and David Holmes, Toronto

Green Building Leases

and how they involve consulting engineers

L

ast June, the Real PropTenant Requirements Landlord Rights erty Association of CanComfortable, Healthy and Productive Indoor Environment ada (REALpac) released • Test GHGs and VOCs • Consider Tenant Construction Manual and a national standard “green” Tenant Procurement Guidelines • Purge building air during tenant move, at tenant’s cost • Use only EcoLogo or Green Seal commercial lease in response cleaning products to a demand by landlords and Reduced Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions tenants for leases with “green” • Install electricity smart meters, at its cost • Acquire electricity from sources components.

• Minimize electricity use with low carbon output A conventional commercial • Install onsite generation capacity • May request that its electricity come from lease may not be sufficient to renewable sources, at its cost incorporate green components Reduced Water Consumption or to ensure that landlords’ • Install water meters, at its cost interests are aligned with ten• Consent to the use of treated recycled/natural water and rainwater and wastewater collection, ant usage. Conventional leases treatment and reuse, where appropriate do not establish environmenRecycled Materials Usage tal goals for the building, for • Work with tenant to certify the • May use recycled materials, furniture, example, or rules to enable the fixtures, equipment, where permitted premises (LEED), at tenant’s cost building to achieve those goals.

• Recycle waste Nor do they anticipate emerging Table 1. Steps to implement an environmental management plan. issues such as emissions trading or greenhouse gas regulatory caps. Green leases, on the other hand, do cover the above (EMP). The plan is referred to in the following instances: issues, and they encourage the use of green materials in • The tenant must pay its share of operating costs to the building improvements and encourage green practices by landlord including costs of developing and/or modifying both the landlord and tenant in the management, use and and operating the building to achieve the objectives of the occupation of the building.

EMP (Article 6).

REALpac’s “National Standard Green Office Lease • The landlord will permit the tenant to use electricity, for Single-Building Projects – 1.01 – 2008” (www.realpac. domestic water, sewage disposal and other utility services ca) was developed by a committee comprising lawyers, as the landlord determines to constitute normal use or as sustainability experts, leasing specialists and Leadership may be specified in the EMP (Article 7). in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accred- • The landlord must manage, maintain, operate and repair ited Professionals. the building in accordance with the EMP. The tenant The green elements of the lease are landlord-centric in must permit the landlord to take reasonably necessary that they contemplate that the landlord will drive the green steps to comply with the EMP (Article 8). objectives, decision-making and compliance. Of course, the • The tenant must manage, maintain, operate and repair lease can be revised to a tenant-centric model, or a shared the premises and construct, use, operate and maintain responsibility model. It is also intended for office projects, leasehold improvements and all furnishings, fixtures and but again appropriate modifications can be made for retail equipment so as to comply with the EMP. The tenant and institutional scenarios. must also perform alterations in accordance with the Landlords and tenants who decide to use such a lease, EMP (Article 9). will almost certainly need to rely on technical consultants at • The tenant must use the premises in a manner consistent different stages of the process. with the EMP (Article 10).

The green elements of the lease are in large part The EMP can have far reaching consequences to a tenstructured through an “Environmental Management Plan” ant if the landlord pursues an aggressive plan. continued on page 32 January/February February 2009

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engineers & the law

continued from page 31

Implementing the environmental management plan General objectives include commitments to reduce the use of potable water, energy and the production of greenhouse gases, etc. Specific objectives may include targets and set dates for achieving parameters related to electricity and gas consumption, waste diversion, indoor CO2 levels, etc.

The parties will likely need to rely on technical consultants to obtain data on the above parameters prior to the lease and to advise on the legitimacy and attainability of the proposed environmental objectives.

Selecting objectives that are so low they are not legitimate, or that are so high as to be unattainable, will simply frustrate the process.

One clause in the lease contemplates the possibility of regulators

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imposing a resource reduction target on the building. As well, the lease specifies that the landlord is entitled to the benefit of any carbon offset credits created as a result of activities conducted within the premises or the building (but of course, not those to which the tenant is entitled by law).

The implementation of the EMP is set out in various requirements, including those in the table on page 31.

The provisions are quite general and will likely apply to most commercial green leasing settings. However, further details such as which party will be required to carry the burdens and pay the associated costs, will always be a matter for negotiation between the landlord and tenant.

Compliance will be a tricky area should these leases come under

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judicial scrutiny. The EMP contains a clause requiring the parties to cooperate “from time to time in determining compliance with the Environmental Objectives… and in refining such Environmental Objectives from time to time.”

Although it’s not explicitly stated in the lease, it’s likely the parties will be required to rely on third party consultants to measure and report on the environmental performance of the building to determine if the stated Environmental Objectives have been met. Consultants’ assistance will also be helpful in addressing any failure to meet the objectives.

The REALpac Green Lease is a useful tool for negotiations but may lack elements that practitioners may wish to incorporate: First, the lease does not include a dispute resolution mechanism. Such a mechanism could deal with both the determination of a breach and its resolution. The provisions of any applicable provincial arbitration legislation may be of assistance.

Second, there are no consequences for failing to achieve the environmental objectives. A breach of the EMP by either party does not constitute a default under the lease. This is intentionally so in the standard lease but may not be appropriate in all cases. In the absence of any consequences to a breach, it will always be uncertain whether the party in breach is likely to actually “use commercially reasonable efforts” to cooperate with the other party and bring about a remedy.

While currently green buildings and green leases are not typical in commercial leasing in Canada, their prevalence will grow in the coming years as is already happening in Australia and the United Kingdom. cce Tamara Farber is a partner and certified specialist in environmental law at Miller Thomson LLP. David Holmes is an associate in the firm’s real estate group. Both are in Toronto. @ARTICLECATEGORY:668;

Jobnr. 304-1518 • Kunde: KSB • Anzeige Laufradvielfalt• Farben: 32 www.canadianconsultingengineer.com January/February 2009 2c (Schwarz + Pant2945) Anlageformat = Endformat: B 114,3 x H 123,8 mm

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computers

By Jean-Marc Allard, Teknika HBA

ConsignO and PATH

Teknika HBA pioneered digital signatures for engineers

T

eknika HBA, a Trow Global Company based in Montreal, was the first large engineering firm in Quebec to align its practices with the province’s Act to establish a legal framework for information technology (R.S.Q. c. C-1.1). The Act, which became law five years ago, clearly specifies the procedure to transfer hard copies onto electronic media. It also details how individuals can be linked to a document by a signature, and if necessary how those individuals can be located.

To maintain the legal value of documents in an electronically digitized form required consider- Above: process of signing a document using ConsignO; a signature time progression above the screen shows signing is in process. able changes to current engineering practices. Taking on this challenge, Teknika was close- Key store and its native functions. Once a document is ly involved in the design, pilot testing and implementation signed, the digital signature confirms the identity and proof digital signature software known as ConsignO. Teknika fessional status of the individual and is permanently linked developed the system in cooperation with Notarius, a to the document. Thanks to CAPI, ConsignO also allows technological subsidiary of the Chamber of Notaries of users to sign documents with a cryptographic token.

Quebec. Notarius had already developed a system for the legal profession that had been in place for several years.

The PATH Applications Portal The design process, which involved several trials and Another IT innovation developed at Teknika is the PATH adjustments, extended over more than a year and resulted (Portail d’Applications Teknika HBA). This applications in ConsignO, the new elecportal is a “one-stop shop” informatronic signature software now To maintain the legal tion centre available to authorized offered by Notarius. The softcompany staff such as project manvalue of documents in an agers and corporate executives. ware is available for any engineering company.

The portal is accessible via an electronically digitized form ConsignO is programmed icon representing the company required considerable changes to in Java. It allows users to sign logo located in the Windows system current engineering practices. tray or directly by the corporate one or several documents electronically. The signature Intranet. is issued by the public key infrastructure’s certification The PATH program gathers all of the company’s manauthority. From workstations, the digital signature must be agement tools and business processes into PATH interpublished in Microsoft’s Cryptographic Applications Pro- faces using a workflow engine developed in-house. gramming Interface (CAPI), either through Entrust ESP Various types of workflows were created to meet the or any other product authorizing CAPI’s use. Program- specific needs of departments. For example, in the human ming of the digital signature module in ConsignO also resources department, a workflow was created to better involved the use of Assembla JCE Provider for Microsoft manage the arrival of new employees by sending notices to continued on page 34 January/February 2009

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staff in charge of computer access, cellular phones, business cards, security cards, etc. In the engineering departments, Teknika used workflows to help project managers carry out projects in an effective and standardized way. The program reminds managers, for example, of the necessity to have a start-up meeting on any new project. It also gives them tools to see the status of a project in real time. They can then continually monitor progress and intervene immediately as soon as a problem occurs.

Based on Java, the PATH technology includes Webstart, which is used for deploying the Teknika icon on more than 300 workstations. As well, PATH uses Ajax, or AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). More than 80% of Teknika’s applications use this technology. It enables a large amount of information to be seen by users without their having to refresh their screens. Also, Ajax technology has enabled Teknika to reproduce GUI (Graphical User Interface) applications, including “client-server” in a web environment. cce Jean-Marc Allard is director of information technology at TeknikaHBA, an engineering and consulting company headquartered in Montreal. Teknika is a Trow Global Company. @ARTICLECATEGORY:661;

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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2/2/09 12:53:23 PM

human edge

Making Wheels Turn

Robert Rehder’s mission to renovate Hope Mill

R

Otonabee Conservation Authority, www.otonabee.com

obert Rehder, P.Eng. spent 47 years in the power generation industry, specializing in switchgear, large power bus ducts and insulation in large motors and generators. He worked for GE on projects such as the LaGrande hydroelectric development in northern Quebec and the Bruce nuclear power plant in Ontario. He holds 28 patents in his field.

But Rehder does much more than that.

He writes, paints, and recently led a group who refurbished a historic sawmill near Peterborough, Ontario.

Interviewed by phone, he explains this labour of love.

“Hope Mill is on the Indian River just north of Keene, about 15 kilometres east of Peterborough. A lot of the area was settled

by Scottish pioneers who came over in the 1820s and 30s. One of them was Squire Rehder demonstrating woodworking tools to a young visitor in the restored mill’s museum.

Lang, who built the mill for carding and fulling sheep’s wool.

“By 1892 Richard Hope, the Squire’s son-in-law, keep the water from going underneath the building, [which replaced the water wheel with two turbines and added meant] driving reinforcing rods in holes into the bedrock. sawmill machinery, including a circular saw, a lathe, a We all gauged ourselves. I was good for 10 whacks with a planer and a jointer. sledgehammer, and other guys would be good for 5, or 20.

“The mill operated as a commercial sawmill until 1966, “Eventually we had the machinery running, but when and then as a demonstration sawmill, operated by the we first connected the line shaft that drives the belts, the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority until the mid 90s vibration almost shook the building apart. We had to when lack of funding forced its closure. make new gears from the old ones, but the saw is a 48-inch “One evening, I was out for a walk with friends and diameter circular saw with removable teeth that we could went by the mill and looked in the window. I could see all replace. We’ve also designed and built a solar-powered this machinery. The floor was collapsing. Everything was kiln to dry the lumber. covered in dirt and grime. It just seemed a shame the place “Two years ago we cut our first log, and last year we had wasn’t operational any more. public demonstrations. We have had 600 visitors, have cut “At that time I was a member of the Otonabee Conser- 100 logs and have about 3,000 board feet of hardwood vation Foundation. We decided we’d look at restoring the lumber for sale. mill. I went to the local chapter of Professional Engineers “What’s the appeal of restoring this old machinery? I Ontario who gave us $4,100 to repair machinery. That think it goes back to our fundamental engineering training. started it. A group of 12 volunteer retirees came together, There’s the desire to solve a problem and there’s creativity. six of them engineers. We held dances and other fund- Here’s the mill, dead. You go down and you work at it, you raisers, and went down to the mill every Tuesday to start fix things and are inventive. Then all of a sudden the mill tearing up the floor. becomes alive. You’re standing there, it’s making a noise, “We had to put in new foundations under the floor to everything’s turning -- and all you can do is smile.” cce

38

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com January/February 2009

p37-40 CCE Feb_09 AdInd_HumanEdg38 38

2/2/09 12:53:28 PM

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