For professional engineers in private practice
JUNE/JULY 2010
GOLDEN EARS BRIDGE A new Vancouver landmark LIBYA’S GREAT MAN MADE RIVER
THE DAY THE RAINS CAME Revisiting a highway’s drainage plan
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contents
June/July 2010 Volume 51, No. 4
Cover: The Day the Rains Came. Photo Š Hemera/Thinkstock. See story page 30.
Golden Ears Bridge, Vancouver. See story page 18.
departments Comment
4
UP Front
6
ACEC Review
13
Products
36
Engineers & the Law
39
Computer Products
40
Advertiser Index
45
The Human Edge
46
Next issue: New indoor systems at Montreal’s Biodome, Building Automation & Controls; Art Gallery of Alberta.
features Transportation Golden Ears Bridge. A new crossing over the Fraser River east of Vancouver is both a landmark and a technical feat of engineering. By Rodger W. Welch, P.Eng., Buckland & Taylor
18
Business Benefiting from Offshore Oil. What has the oil and gas sector in Newfoundland/Labrador meant for consulting engineers? By Andrew Safer
23
Water Going Off Chlorine. Montreal is replacing chlorine with on-site hypochlorite disinfection systems. Jacques Trottier, M.A.Sc and Jing An, ing., SNC-Lavalin
27
The Great Man Made River. Canadian engineers are playing a major role in building a 4,000-kilometre water pipeline across the Libyan Desert. Noel Rieder, SNC-Lavalin
28
Stormwater The Day the Rains Came. The Red Hill Valley parkway in Hamilton was inundated during a summer storm, so the design team investigated. By Ron Scheckenberger, P.Eng. AMEC Earth & Environmental
30
Surveying Digital Modelling Tools. LiDAR, lasers and mobile mapping provide engineers with more accurate information of existing site conditions. By John Blair McElhanney Consulting Services
33
June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
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comment
engineer For professional engineers in private practice
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
Gulf of Mexico shows folly of complacency
Maureen Levy E-mail: mlevy@ccemag.com (416) 510-5111 Art Director
Ellie Robinson
I
n early June oil was continuing to pour from the Deep Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico. The black muck had spread from the ocean floor affecting an area almost the size of Florida and was drifting towards the beaches of that state. British Petroleum was trying another clumsy attempt to plug the gushing hole, and the Unified Command overseeing the disaster had resorted to asking the public for “suggestions” on how to stem the flow. The latest bright idea gaining popularity was to detonate a nuclear bomb deep in the earth in hopes that the heat would cause some kind of geological fusion that would seal up the well. Meanwhile the oil, freed from its underground canyon, continued to flow at the rate of up to 40,000 barrels a day. Is this disaster an engineering fiasco, or was the explosion on board the rig and the resulting broken well-head caused by corporate irresponsibility? Someone gave the order to continue drilling on April 20, even though there were apparently warning signs of trouble. And while full investigations are pending, it sounds like problems had surfaced well before then. A New York Times article of May 20 based on 50,000 documents obtained from U.S. Congressional investigators, said that BP had recorded the blowout preventer leaking several times in March, and engineers had expressed concerns about the strength of the well casing last year. During drilling, U.S. regulators had been too quick to go along with BP’s requests, and had acquiesced to delaying tests, or had quickly provided permits (within 10 minutes on one occasion) when the company encountered problems. Watching the news reports was deeply troubling, but most of all, I felt anger and outrage that such an incident could take place. What kept coming to mind is the phrase “risk management,” the business practice corporations today are so careful to follow. No doubt BP has a risk management strategy. In planning the Deepwater Horizon project, someone counting the beans had calculated that even in a worst case scenario, the company would only be liable to pay $75 million as compensation under U.S. law. There are some risks that are just too great to “manage.” There are risks that can cause devastation to life and the planet on an unimaginable scale. Offshore oil and gas exploration is already high-risk, and the new deep ocean drilling is delving into uncharted waters. Regulators needed to be doubly cautious and were not. Engineers needed to be more circumspect and if they saw potential dangers, they needed to speak out publicly. They did not. The result is the biggest environmental disaster in North American history. By coincidence we have an article in this issue of CCE about how the offshore oil and gas industry in Newfoundland has provided business for local consulting engineers (p. 23). Since that article was written, news broke that Chevron is drilling the first deep ocean oil well in the Atlantic off Newfoundland, one that is 1,000 metres deeper than the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon. Canadians need to take a good look at our regulatory controls for these high risk operations, because at the moment they seem surprisingly lax. Bronwen Parsons
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Contributing Editor
Rosalind Cairncross, P.Eng. 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., Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., Laurier Nichols, ing., Lee Norton, P.Eng., Jonathan Rubes, P.Eng., Paul Ruffell, P.Eng., Ron Wilson, P.Eng. Circulation
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12 Concorde Place, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Tel: (416) 442-5600 Fax: (416) 510-5134 CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 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. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Canada, 1 year $58.95; 2 years $88.95 + taxes Single copy $7.00 Cdn. + taxes. (GST 809751274-RT0001). United States U.S. $58.95. Foreign U.S. $81.95. Printed in Canada. Title registered at Trademarks Office, Ottawa. Copyright 1964. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner(s). ISSN: 0008-3267 (print), ISSN: 1923-3337 (digital) POSTAL INFORMATION: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept., Canadian Consulting Engineer, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2. USPS 016-099. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY 14304-5709. Periodicals postage paid at Niagara Falls, NY. US Postmaster: send address changes to Canadian Consulting Engineer, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls NY 14304. Privacy: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us. tel: 1-800-668-2374, fax: 416-510-5134, e-mail: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca, mail to: Privacy Officer, BIG, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2. Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Member of the Canadian Business Press Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations Inc.
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CH2M HILL
up front
WATER
Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Calgary. WASTEWATER
OIL & GAS
Calgary’s new wastewater treatment plant mimics nature Calgary officially opened a brand new wastewater treatment plant in May. The $430-million Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Centre was designed by CH2M HILL and is intended to service a population of 1.75 million. The plant now treats up to 100 megalitres of wastewater per day, and it has the infrastructure to expand to 700 megalitres per day. Located on a 320-acre parcel on the southern edge of the city, the plant will produce “the highest quality of treated effluent of any major city in Western Canada.” Before being discharged into the Bow River, the wastewater is treated with advanced filtration, ultraviolet disinfection and biological nutrient removal (BNR). The complex incorporates a research facility fitted with equipment modules, and streams that mimic natural flows and pools so that the researchers can examine the behaviour of chemicals and additives in receiving waters. Wind power provides half the energy used for sewage processing, and methane gas is being harvested to heat the buildings. More than 5,500 m2 of green roofing spans over several of the buildings. Calgary has two other wastewater plants: Bonnybrook and Fish Creek.
Gulf of Mexico disaster echoes in Canada After millions of gallons of oil had been gushing for a month from BP’s ruptured Deepwater Horizon well into the Gulf of Mexico, Canada’s federal government decided that there was no chance it would lift the moratorium on offshore oil drilling in B.C. anytime soon. Speaking on May 21, Jim Prentice, federal Environment Minister, told the Vancouver Sun: “We need to be careful with offshore oil drilling. We’re all appalled by what we’re seeing in the Gulf of Mexico.” U.S. President Barack Obama put on hold any plans for new deep water oil drilling in the Gulf until the cause of the Deepwater Horizon fiasco is known. Meanwhile, 400 kilometres north of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Chevron Canada has started drilling a deep sea oil well 2.5 kilometres on the floor of the North Atlantic ocean. The Lona O-55 well in the Orphan Basin is the deepest oil well ever drilled in Canadian waters, and is a kilometre deeper than the Deepwater Horizon well. Following public concerns and questions about the Lona O-55 in the province’s legislature, Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB), the regulator for the offshore industry, announced on May 20 that it would continued on page 8
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www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
Ontario heads out to clean waters In May, the Ontario government introduced the Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act. The legislation is intended to “make Ontario a North American leader in developing and selling water technologies and services.” The announcement by Premier Dalton McGuinty came on the 10th anniversary of the Walkerton tragedy, an event which brought a transformation to water treatment in Canada. ENERGY
B.C. introduces Clean Energy Act with Feed-in-Tariff The Government of B.C. introduced Bill 17, a new Clean Energy Act, to the B.C. Legislature in April. B.C. Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom said the legislation would encourage the development of renewable energy in the province, and help to ensure it is self-sufficient in energy by 2016. The bill’s objectives include “streamlined approval processes,” and a Feed-in-Tariff program that would encourage green technology investments. It also proposes the consolidation of BC Hydro and the BC Transmission Corporation into a “one-stop” utility.
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up front
continued from page 6
on the project at the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) Climate Change Conference held in Toronto on April 29. Roth explained that the city is being planned as a “clean technology cluster” for businesses and researchers dedicated to renewable energies.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
The city is focused around the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and is laid out in a dense plan of six square miles. It will eventually be occupied by 80,000 workers and 40,000 inhabitants. Designed by Sir Norman Foster of the U.K., the city reflects traditional Arabian architecture, with narrow canyon-like streets that provide shade and ventilation. Also large triangular
Zero Carbon City near Abu Dhabi RWDI consulting engineers of Guelph, Ontario are helping architects to design Masdar City, an astonishing “zero-carbon” development being built in the desert near to Abu Dhabi’s airport. Michael Roth, P.Eng. of RWDI consulting engineers gave a presentation
Foster + Partners
require “special oversight measures” for the Chevron well. The board said that from now on inspections on board the drilling ship, the Stena Carron, must be every three to four weeks, compared to the current standard requirement of inspections every three to four months. Chevron has to ensure that it has staff and equipment ready “for rapid deployment” in the case of a spill. As well, the board will now have a representative on board the drilling ship: “to observe the cementing operations of the last casing string set prior to entering any target zones.” There is debate over whether Canada’s current offshore drilling rules are stricter than those that were in place for the Deepwater Horizon project.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
wind towers are designed to scoop up air and direct it down into the streets. Photovoltaic panels cover the rooftops and there are solar and wind farms on the city edges. The transit system runs in an “undercroft” below street level. It consists of personal rapid transit vehicles (PRTs) — something like smart cars that run on rails. RWDI’s role on the project has included providing analysis and modelling of the wind, which will play a vital role in conditioning the city. They also helped analyze the best locations for the photovoltaic panels. Roth explained that the biggest problem with the panels is dust, which “gets everywhere” and has to be systematically removed. Masdar City is designed to last until the year 2050. Meanwhile China is building an “all-solar” city is Anhui province. The Ningguo-Apollo Solar Energy Community is being built by a PV-industry supplier on a project-by-project basis around a 10 GW solar grid. PEOPLE
Former CEO of Golder Associates dies at age 58 Frederick (Rick) W. Firlotte, a principal and past-global president and continued on page 10
8
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June/July 2010
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continued from page 8
Shortly afterwards, in 1978, he joined Golder’s London, Ontario office. He established Golder’s Montréal office in 1989 and oversaw Canadian operations from 1996 until 1999. According to a company announcement: “Rick ... was a leader in the truest sense of the word and will be greatly missed by all those who knew him.” AWARDS
Sustainability theme of CEBC Awards Sustainability was a dominant characteristic of the projects that won 2010 Awards for Engineering Excellence from Consulting Engineers of B.C. The awards were celebrated on April 24 in Vancouver. The Lieutenant Governor’s Award went to SNC-Lavalin for the Canada Line Rapid Transit Project, Rich-
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chief executive officer of Golder Associates, died peacefully in his sleep on April 18, 2010 at age 58. From 1999 until mid-2009, Firlotte was president of Golder’s global operations, a time of tremendous growth and change when Golder grew from a 2,000-person operation with offices in 16 countries, to its present 7,000-person Rick Firlotte operation operating in 40 countries. Among his other achievements, Firlotte co-founded The Golder Trust for Orphans, which provides support to children and families suffering in the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Firlotte was born in Campbellton, New Brunswick, and he obtained a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering at McGill University.
Canada Line Rapid Transit, Vancouver
mond, B.C. The $1.9 billion, 18.5-km rapid transit line has 16 stations and threads through a complex urban environment using elevated, at grade and underground track. Awards of Excellence were given to Fast + Epp for the Richmond Olympic Oval Roof; Ausenco Sandwell for the False Creek Energy Centre, Vancouver; Ausenco Sandwell for the Adriatic Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal Internal Storage Tanks, Porto Levante, Italy; and to Dayton & Knight for a Pilot Test Program for Simultaneous Phosphorus and Carbon Recovery at Salmon Arm’s Water Pollution Control Centre. AECOM
Green office building wins top award in Manitoba Consulting Engineers of Manitoba gave out its 11th Annual Awards of Excellence in April. Top honour Manitoba Hydro Downtown Office, for an engineer- Winnipeg. ing project was the Keystone Award, which went to AECOM Canada and Crosier Kilgour Partners for the Manitoba Hydro Downtown Office Building. AECOM were the mechanical and electrical engineers and Crosier Kilgour did the structural engineering on the landmark 22-storey sustainable building. Awards of excellence went to: John Arnalukjuak School by Accutech Engineering; Forget-Me-Not-Fountain,
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up front
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Waddell Fountain Restoration by Crosier Kilgour & Partners; 1st and Rosser Remediation Project, Brandon, by AECOM; CU HVDC Transmission System, Shunt-filter Bank Replacement Study by Teshmont Consultants; and Pointe du Bois Wastewater Collection System Renewal by KGS Acres. George Rempel, P.Eng., founder of TetrEs Consultants (recently acquired by Stantec), won the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a member of the first executive that established the Associa- George Rempel tion of Consulting Engineers of Manitoba in 1978. Ralph Kurth, P.Eng., president of Teshmont, was awarded the Engineering Action Award as a practising engineer.
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down. At a meeting of “Big City” mayors in Toronto in May, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly said that meeting the new sewage pipe rules would mean ripping up virtually every street in the municipality. CALENDAR
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June/July 2010
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ACEC review
Chair’s Message
Building a strong contemporary image
R
egular readers of the ACEC Review in Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine will notice our new look in this issue. In order to be an effective voice of the consulting engineering sector and to provide value to its members, ACEC must continually evolve as an association -- building on our past successes and adapting to new challenges. With our increased emphasis on advocacy and profile, ACEC has revisited our visual identity and refreshed our logo as part of this evolution. We hope that ACEC and its new visual identity will soon become synonymous with a strong and contemporary image of the industry and will be widely recognized by our members, our partners and external stakeholders. Please read “ACEC Introduces a New Look” (p.15) which details the evolution and meaning behind ACEC’s new identity. As this edition goes to print, my enjoyable and eventful
term as Chair of the ACEC Board of Directors will have concluded. It has been a pleasure and an honour to represent our association and our sector for the past year. A key to ACEC’s success has been the strategic leadership provided by our volunteer Board. Their experience and commitment to our profession has been invaluable. I am particularly pleased that I will be succeeded by a strong and knowledgeable advocate for ACEC in the person of Wilfrid Morin of Teknika-HBA inc. Please join me in wishing Wilfrid every success as ACEC continues to grow and evolve. I want to thank our new President, John Gamble, and the ACEC staff for all their hard work over the past year. In a year of transition, our services and programs continued uninterrupted. Both John and I credit the staff for this. Finally, I wish the ACEC membership across the country continued success in the year to come. ANDY ROBINSON, P.ENG., CHAIR ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES (ACEC)
Message du Président du conseil
Bâtir une image forte et contemporaine
L
es lecteurs de la rubrique de l’AFIC dans la revue Canadian Consulting Engineer constateront son nouveau look dans ce numéro. Pour être le porte-parole efficace de l’industrie du génie-conseil et pour offrir une valeur à ses membres, l’AFIC doit continuellement évoluer en tant qu’association -- en tirant parti de nos réussites antérieures et en nous adaptant à de nouveaux défis. Avec l’importance accrue que nous accordons à la représentation et au profil de l’industrie, l’AFIC a modernisé son identité visuelle et son logo pour refléter cette évolution. Nous espérons que l’AFIC et sa nouvelle identité visuelle deviendront bientôt synonymes d’une image contemporaine et robuste de l’industrie, reconnue par nos membres, par nos partenaires et par les intervenants externes. Nous vous invitons à lire l’article « ACEC Introduces a New Look » (p.15) qui détaille l’évolution et la signification de la nouvelle identité de l’AFIC. Au moment de l’impression de ce numéro, j’aurai terminé mon mandat qui fut autant agréable que rempli d’événements à titre de président du conseil d’administration de l’AFIC. Ce fut à la fois un plaisir et
un honneur de représenter notre association et notre industrie au cours de la dernière année. L’une des clés de la réussite de l’AFIC réside dans le leadership stratégique de nos membres bénévoles du conseil d’administration. Leur expérience et leur engagement à l’égard de notre profession sont inestimables. Il me fait particulièrement plaisir de savoir que je serai succédé par Wilfrid Morin de TeknikaHBA inc., un ardent et habile défenseur des intérêts de notre industrie. Joignez-vous à moi pour souhaiter à Wilfrid le meilleur succès dans ses fonctions alors que l’AFIC continue de croître et d’évoluer. Je tiens aussi à remercier notre nouveau président, John Gamble, ainsi que le personnel de l’AFIC pour leur excellent travail au cours de la dernière année. Dans une année de transition, il n’y a eu aucune interruption dans nos services et nos programmes. John et moi attribuons cette continuité à notre équipe dévouée. Enfin, je souhaite à tous nos membres partout au pays un succès continue pour la prochaine année et au-delà. ANDY ROBINSON, P.ENG., PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL ASSOCIATION DES FIRMES D’INGÉNIEURS-CONSEILs (AFIC)
June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
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ACEC review
Government of Canada Launches Second Round of Funding for P3s Article by PPP Canada
O
n May 12, 2010, PPP Canada launched Round 2 of the P3 Canada Fund. The deadline for Round 2 project submissions is June 30, 2010. There will be multiple future calls for project submissions over the life of the Fund. Details of the program, including eligibility and the application process, can be found in the P3 Canada Fund Project Submission Guide: Round 2, which is posted on the PPP Canada website at www. p3canada.ca. As Canada’s existing public infrastructure continues to age and the requirements for replacement and new infrastructure increase, governments must find ways of stretching their infrastructure dollars further. Across Canada, governments have begun to recognize the value of engaging private-sector innovation to improve delivery of public infrastructure by providing greater value, Canada’s Parliament Buildings timeliness and accountability Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, for taxpayers, through public-private and most recently federally, to suppartnerships (P3s). port the effective implementation of P3 procurement. The P3 infrastructure delivery In 2008, PPP Canada was estabmodel has been successfully implelished to build P3 procurement knowlmented in the United Kingdom, edge and capacity federally, and the Australia and across Europe and is Government of Canada committed finding increasing favour with govern$1.2 billion to the P3 Canada Fund ments in Canada as well. Public corto promote the adoption of P3s and porations, agencies and departmental implementation of best practices in groups have been created in British
provincial, territorial, municipal and First Nations infrastructure procurements. The P3 Canada Fund is a merit-based program that helps deliver quality infrastructure by co-funding public infrastructure projects which are best delivered via a P3 or alternative financing and procurement (AFP). PPP Canada supports up to 25% of eligible direct construction and development costs, including: design, engineering, manufacturing, equipment, surveying, construction, environmental remediation, fees paid to relevant professional consultants and construction finance. The P3 Canada Fund complements other components of the Building Canada Plan and Canada’s Economic Action Plan. Each infrastructure project considered by the P3 Canada Fund must contribute to one of: fostering economic growth; supporting a cleaner environment; and/or promoting stronger communities. PPP Canada works closely with provincial, territorial, municipal, First Nations, federal and private-sector partners to support greater adoption of public-private partnerships in infrastructure procurement.
ACEC Member Organizations: Consulting Engineers 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 Consulting Engineering Companies of New Brunswick, Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, Consulting Engineers of Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador. 14
Canadian Consulting Engineer
June/July 2010
ACEC review
ACEC Introduces a New Look
W
ith our greatest emphasis ever on advocacy and profile, ACEC has developed a new visual identity and logo as part of our evolution. The new logo evokes a maple leaf encircled by the engineers’ Iron Ring -- a recognized and respected symbol of the engineers’ great responsibility and duty to the public. In this vein, ACEC member firms aspire to be the trusted advisors to their clients -- relied upon for innovative, sustainable solutions to some of society’s greatest challenges. The ring was designed with 12 discrete elements representing each of our provincial and territorial member organizations. The resultant abstract presentation of the
ring also suggests both a globe on its axis and a sense of motion and change. This represents the talented, business-minded professionals who apply their knowledge and expertise to improve quality of life for Canadians and the broade r international community. This is reinforced by ACEC’s concise, aspirational tagline: “Shaping tomorrow’s world.” We hope that ACEC and its new visual identity will soon become synonymous with a strong and contemporary image of the industry and will be widely recognized by our members and our partners and external stakeholders.
FIDIC 2010 to be held in New Delhi, India
R
egistration is now open for the 2010 FIDIC Conference being held 19-22 September, 2010 in New Delhi, India. “Managing Innovation - The Way Forward” is the theme of the conference, which is being held at the Vigyan Bhawan Conference Centre. The annual conference of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) is one of the industry’s most important events. This year’s conference, co-hosted by FIDIC and the Consulting Engineers Association of India, will bring together international speakers, clients, industry, government organizations, consultants and engineers to discuss consulting services worldwide. The conference will explore the
many facets of innovation in business practice that arise in providing the quality services needed to meet the urgent and growing demands through a variety of plenary sessions and workshops. Special opportunity for Canadian participants ACEC is arranging a special information session on international business opportunities in cooperation with the Canadian High Commission to India, the Trade Commissioner Service and Export Development Corporation. Also, to allow prospective participants to prepare and to arrange their own business opportunities, a tool kit of information on developing business
in India is currently being developed exclusively for ACEC members. Visit www.fidic.org to register.
ACEC Co-ordinates The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies’ national office is located at 130 Albert Street, Suite 616, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5G4, tel: 1-800-565-0569; 613-236-0569; e-mail: jgamble@acec.ca. website: www.acec.ca
June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
15
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Canadian Consulting Engineer
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transportation
golden ears bridge BY RODGER W. WELCH, P.ENG. BUCKLAND & TAYLOR
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www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
transportation
A landmark new crossing over the Fraser River east of Vancouver is the longest multi-span, cable-stayed bridge in North America.
T
he Golden Ears Bridge, which opened to traffic on June 16, 2009, provides a vital new connection over the Fraser River about 30 kilometres east of Vancouver. Set in one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, the bridge provides a striking new landmark for the surrounding communities and dramatically improves the movement of people and goods through the region. This main bridge is the centrepiece of a comprehensive network of new roads built to connect Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows north of the river, to Langley and Surrey to the south. Through a competitive process TransLink, the Greater Vancouver region’s transportation authority, awarded the Golden Crossing General Partnership the $800-million contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Golden Ears Bridge and associated road network (“Golden Ears Project”) for a 35-year concession period. The Golden Ears Bridge is the longest multispan, cable-stayed bridge constructed in North America and one of relatively few in the world. Buckland & Taylor were part of the Golden Crossing’s team and provided the conceptual, preliminary and detailed design of the main bridge and its approaches. They also provided erection engineering for the main bridge. continued on page 20
Left: opening celebrations last June. June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
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transportation
continued from page 19
Above: view from south bank, with Pier M2 in foreground. A nearby airport required that the bridge towers be low; they are set on “tuning fork” piers that respond flexibly in the event of an earthquake.
Hybrid cable-stayed, extradosed form The Golden Ears Bridge has a total length of 968 metres, with five spans supported by four river piers with heights up to 80 metres. The bridge is significant for its “hybrid” multi-span composite, cable-stayed form. This innovative bridge form was central to the success of the Golden Crossing Partnership’s competitive proposal because it provided the best solution for the varied constraints of the site. The site constraints included two widely separated navigation channels, high river flows, sensitive environmental areas, poor foundation conditions, and relatively high seismicity. Buckland & Taylor’s design team worked closely with the construction team on the design solution. More than a dozen preliminary concepts were developed, and these were carefully screened down to three alternatives for detailed consideration: cable-stayed, concrete segmental box girder, and the “hybrid” cable-stayed/extradosed. The final concept was selected for its comparative light weight, seismic performance, constructability and cost effectiveness. The geometric constraints imposed by the two navigation channels naturally led to an optimal series of three river spans of 242 metres and two 121 metre end spans. These span lengths are well within the range of a true cable-stayed bridge. However the towers would have en20
www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
croached on the glide path for the nearby Pitt Meadows Airport. An extradosed bridge characterized by low profile towers would have satisfied this tower height restriction but the span length is beyond the effective range of a true extradosed bridge. The chosen hybrid bridge form combines attributes of a cable-stayed bridge and an extradosed bridge, taking advantage of benefits from each of these bounding forms of cablestayed bridges. The final multi-span composite cable-stayed form has the span range, lightness and constructability of a composite cable-stayed bridge, but also uses low-profile towers which are features drawn from an extradosed bridge. The combination of the parallel harped cable-stays and the low profile towers that do not need crossbeams above the deck provides a clean, aesthetically pleasing view. Flexible piers with both permanent and ductile hinges The bridge design was influenced by the moderate-to-high seismicity of the site and deep, soft liquefiable deposits in the river. The relatively high seismic demands and poor foundation conditions led to a flexible pier concept, which uses a twin wall pier leg “tuning fork” arrangement. The arrangement provides a ductile substructure that essentially isolates the superstructure from the foundations seismi-
transportation cally. The pier legs are designed to perform elastically, with ductile “plastic hinges” at their top and bottom sections. They are designed for the service level design earthquake, which has a 475 year return period, and to perform inelastically for the ultimate level design earthquake, which has a 2500 year return period. The substructure concept, however, was not without challenges for the design team. The main navigation channel requires approximately 45 metres of height clearance close to the northern bank of the river. As a result there is an asymmetrical roadway profile to the bridge which requires the pier legs at Pier M2 near the southern bank to be significantly shorter and stiffer than the other piers. These legs are disproportionately at risk during seismic events, so an innovative solution was developed to reduce their stiffness. We introduced a permanent steel “hinge” detail that effectively acts as a pin at the bottom of the legs. The hinge is a steel plate which provides the necessary vertical capacity as well as the flexibility to shed seismic force and to accommodate the seismic displacement demands. The hinge plate section (100 mm thick by 3600 mm wide) transmits the entire load from the pier leg to the foundation.
bridge foundation at the pile cap by high strength posttensioning bars. In the event of excessive settlements the bars can be released, the settlement slab raised off the pile cap to correct the geometry, the gap filled with highstrength grout, and the post-tensioning bars re-stressed to lock the settlement slab back to the pile cap.
Incorporating “settlements slabs” In addition, the underlying deep soft silt and clay deposits posed a significant risk related to future settlements. Differential settlements exceeding the design value of 250 mm would threaten the integrity of the bridge. The solution was to incorporate a unique feature -– “settlement slabs” -- which can be used to raise the bridge towers using hydraulic jacks in the event that excessive foundation settlements occur. The bridge piers are supported on the 3-m deep reinforced concrete settlement slabs, which are in turn locked to the
Project owner: TransLink Main bridge design & erection engineer: Buckland & Taylor (Don W. Bergman, P.Eng., Rodger W. Welch, P.Eng., Dusan Radojevic, P.Eng., Hisham Ibrahim, P.Eng.) DBFO contractor: Golden Crossing General Partnership (led by Bilfinger Berger BOT) Design-builder: Golden Crossing Constructors – Joint Venture, (Bilfinger Berger (Canada) and CH2M Hill) Geotechnical consultant: Trow Associates Roadway design: McElhanney Consulting Services
Visual icon An important requirement of TransLink was to create a visual icon for the region by having an overall aesthetic theme for the new route. As a result, the design of the bridge incorporates architectural features reflecting the natural area such as bridgehead lanterns, bridge fencing with an historic “fish trap” theme, golden eagle sculptures, and interpretive panels to narrate the story of the Katzie First Nation and the historic Fraser River. The final result is a beautiful, functional bridge form that efficiently addresses the unique challenges of this crossing and is a striking work of engineering. cce Rodger Welch, P.Eng. is an Executive Engineer and Senior Project Manager with Buckland & Taylor of Vancouver.
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business
Benefiting from Offshore Oil the oil and gas sector in newfoundland & labrador has kept local consulting engineers busy, but the opportunities are changing.
Photo courtesy of Husky Energy
B
eginning with the Hibernia project in the early 1990s, the key driver of the Newfoundland and Labrador economy has been offshore oil and gas development and production. The industry continues to thrive. In a spring 2009 report, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council projected $11 billion will be spent on oil and gas capital projects in the province over 10 years. That figure does not include the Hibernia Southern Extension, which was approved in February. Jamie Powell, P.Eng., Associate, Mining and Geotechnical Engineering for Stantec Consulting, is the incoming President of Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador (CENL). He says that the trend in the oil and gas and mining sectors in Newfoundland has been to
by Andrew sAFer hire large, multidisciplinary firms because “owners want someone else to deal with the logistics. They don’t want to have a lot of separate contracts, and they want to be less liable and less hands on. They want to be able to hire a consulting firm and say, ‘This is my project, please come and see me when I can turn the key and open the door.’” Another reason the bulk of the work has been going continued on page 24
Above: Husky Energy’s floating oil production storage and offloading vessel in the White Rose field 350 kilometres east of St. John’s, Newfoundland. FPSO SeaRose is configured like a ship so that it can pivot around the bore hole or “tie off” quickly during storms or if icebergs loom. In the background a ship comes to transport the oil to shore.
June/July 2010
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“The consulting engineering firms that will thrive are the ones that are adaptable and are collaborating with other firms.” to bigger companies located outside the province is the lack of local capacity. When a project like the Hibernia Southern Extension comes along, “The question is, are there enough engineers in the province to do the work?” says Powell. “The answer is No.” The reason for the shortage, however, is that spin-off work -- highways, hospitals, and housing -- is keeping the local consulting engineers busy. Much of this new infrastructure is funded by provincial government oil and gas royalties. Powell estimates that perhaps, “90 to 95% of the consulting firms in the province would be involved in either direct or indirect work related to the oil and gas sector.” Environmental assessments and other studies related to the offshore industry have also provided local consultants with extensive opportunities over the decades. The St. John’s office of the former Jacques Whitford & Associates, the large Nova Scotia-based consulting engineering company that was recently acquired by Stantec, has provided environmental sciences and environmental permitting
consulting on various offshore projects, for example. Fluctuating history Rick Tiller, P.Eng., the current President of CENL and President of Tiller Engineering, has been involved in Newfoundland’s oil and gas sector since the 1990s and has seen the opportunities for consulting engineers fluctuate over the years. He was asked: What piece of this pie have consulting engineering firms in the province been able to carve out for themselves? “The nature of the opportunity has changed as the industry has matured,” Tiller replies, “but consulting engineers have played an important role.” A junior structural engineer in 1993, Tiller recalls that “the engineering community wasn’t ready” when Hibernia got under way. “Some groups were smart enough to make alliances in advance; most stood by and watched.” Tiller was working for BFL Consultants, a partner in Newfoundland Offshore Contractors, the topsides con-
Rittal – The System.
IT RACKS
Rittal_ImageAnzeige_IT_4c_400x124_canada.indd 1
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IT COOLING
IT POWER
www.hibernia.ca
business
Above: the Hibernia platform, installed 1997.
sortium. He remembers 245 staff from DORIS Engineering flying in from Paris and setting up an office in St. John’s to do the engineering work on the gravity-based
structure (GBS). “There weren’t many local people involved,” he says. However, he adds that some local firms supplied draftsmen to NOC and DORIS Engineering. When the Terra Nova project began to ramp up in mid-1997, Petro-Canada decided to build Canada’s first east-coast floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit rather than a gravity-based structure. Brown and Root did the engineering work in Leatherhead in the U.K., and approximately 40 Newfoundland draftsmen and engineers who had worked on Hibernia were sent to the U.K. to work on the project as a shadow, lead or colead in order to facilitate technology transfer. “The consulting community was disappointed,” Tiller says. “It was good for Rick Tiller and the others who went over there, but it wasn’t good for the consulting engineers locally. There was very harsh opposition. Leatherhead was a bad word.” However, he notes, many of the engineers who were trained in the U.K. went on to become industry leaders in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. (Tiller was in Leatherhead for a year, and while there was co-lead and did the structural design on one of the modules. When he returned to St. John’s, he was the deputy lead structural engineer for the topsides.) continued on page 26
Faster – better – worldwide.
DATA CENTRES
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www.rittal.ca June/July 2010
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business
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Andrew Safer
mately one-third of the engineers hired were Newfoundlanders. USI Engineering and NSB Group were consulting engineering companies established to provide technical staff for the offshore industry. “Overall, both NOIA and the engineering consulting firms were pleased,” recalls Tiller. Above: Rick Tiller, President of Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador.
At that point, Newfoundland Ocean Industries Association, the city of St. John’s, and the province vowed that the engineering work on all future offshore projects would be done in Newfoundland, with maximum local input. So when Husky Energy’s White Rose project began to ramp up in 2002, an engineering office was set up in St. John’s, and Tiller recalls that approxi-
What are the opportunities now? Now that the Hebron project is getting under way, Tiller says the opportunity is for niche independent firms to apply specialized resources to support the teams of international groups and national firms that are bidding on work such as the topsides contract. He adds that the consulting engineering firms that will thrive are the ones that are adaptable and are collaborating with other small or medium-sized
St. John’s
Hibernia
White Rose Hebron/ Bon Nevis Terra Nova
Halifax
0
300 km
Above: oil and gas fields in the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland.
firms to create larger (say, 40-person) project teams. “That would not have happened five years ago,” he observes. During the production phase of these projects, Tiller explains, the opportunities for consulting engineering firms are to provide services to the large, specialist multi-national companies such as Schlumberger and Oceaneering International. The kind of areas that are likely to offer work are: oil rig operations and maintenance; robotic inspections of subsea lines, and making modifications to production facilities, drilling facilities and supply boats. There may also be opportunities to design warehouses, marine facilities, and other support infrastructure. Newfoundland Design Associates Limited, Structural Design, and AMEC Earth and Environmental are among the companies that have carried out engineering planning, design and construction management for a variety of support facilities. Powell believes that the flip side of the trend towards larger firms is the disappearance of companies with one or two senior engineers, a draftsman and a receptionist. Many companies that are currently operating are headed for retirement, and Powell says it’s likely they won’t be replaced. The challenge for small engineering firms, Powell says, is that “at the end of the day, they will want to be plugged in at all levels,” even though “it’s very difficult for a small company to get the attention of the cce multinationals.” Andrew Safer is a freelance writer based in St. John’s, Nfld.
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water treatment
Jacques Trottier, M.A.Sc. and Jing An, ing. SNC-Lavalin
To reduce risks at two of its largest water treatment plants, the city of Montreal is replacing chlorine with on-site hypochlorite disinfection systems.
Going Off Chlorine
I
n 2005, the City of Montreal launched a major project to upgrade its eight drinking water treatment plants. The project includes studies, engineering, procurement, project management and construction management for the upgrading and rehabilitation of eight plants serving a population of two million people. One of the mandates involves replacing the existing chlorine gas disinfection systems at two of the largest plants: the Atwater and CharlesJ. Des Baillets plants, located close to downtown Montreal. The Atwater plant is 100 years old and has a capacity of 680,000 m3/d, while the CharlesJ. Des Baillets plant, with a capacity of 1,159,000 m3/d, was built in 1978. The treatment process at both plants primarily includes screening, sand filtration and chlorine gas disinfection. In the wake of incidents at drinking water treatment plants in the U.S. several years ago when chlorine gas was accidentally released into the atmosphere, the city of Montreal became concerned about its own exposure to this risk, both when transporting the gas to its treatment plants through densely populated residential areas, and in handling the gas in routine plant operations. The city asked SNCLavalin, as the lead member of the SNC-Lavalin/DESSAU consortium doing the plant upgrades, to examine these risks, evaluate the potential impacts, and seek alternative methods of disinfection. The studies revealed that the two plants use between two and four tons of chlorine gas per day, which is transported in one-ton cylinders over a distance of about 100 kilometres. The plants have approximately 80
Above: the 100-year old Atwater Treatment Plant in Montreal is one of eight plants that the city is upgrading.
cylinders in-waiting, plus 36 cylinders connected to the chlorination system. The cylinders are unloaded outdoors at the Atwater plant and indoors at the Charles-J. Des Baillets facility. One of the risks of handling the cylinders is valve failure, which might cause a cylinder to release about one ton of chlorine gas. To bring the existing disinfection systems to current standards and reduce risks at the plants, SNC-Lavalin recommended replacing the existing chlorine gas disinfection systems with an on-site sodium hypochlorite disinfection system. An on-site sodium hypochlorite system uses three common consumables: salt, water and electricity. The salt is used to prepare a brine solution, which is then reduced in concentration with demineralized water. The diluted brine solution is pumped through an electronically-charged electrolytic cell where a chemical reaction results in a 0.8% sodium hypochlorite solution. The salt can be delivered by truck and easily stored in tanks. Handling a
much weaker 0.8% sodium hypochlorite solution greatly reduces the risk of accidental exposure to hazardous materials. As a result, in contrast to chlorine gas and bulk hypochlorite, an on-site generation system eliminates the bulk storage of chemicals, lowers risk to plant personnel because of drastically reduced hazardous material storage and handling requirements, eliminates transportation liabilities, and reduces the threat to public safety. According to SNC-Lavalin’s study, six hypochlorite generation systems, each with a capacity of 1,500 lbs/day of chlorine equivalent, are required at Atwater, and five at Charles-J. Des Baillets. The new disinfection system is under construction at Charles-J. Des Baillets, while installation at Atwater is set to begin in mid-2011 with completion in 2012. cce Jacques Trottier, M.A.Sc. is Director of Processes and Urban Infrastructure; Jing An is an engineer. Both are with SNC-Lavalin in Montreal. June/July 2010
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water SNC-Lavalin
Right: massive manufactured pipes stretch to the horizon in Sarir. Opposite: drilling in Tazerbo.
The GREAT Man Made RIVER NOEL RIEDER SNC-LAVALIN
SNC-Lavalin of Montreal is playing a major role in a gigantic project — installing a 4,000-kilometre water pipeline network across the Libyan Desert.
I
t is difficult to imagine that the Sahara Desert was once a fertile landscape with enough natural abundance to nourish the Roman Empire. Today it is more horizon than landscape, but Libyan officials have known for over 30 years that their portion of the Sahara hides the largest ancient subterranean aquifers ever discovered, containing nearly 35,000 cubic kilometres of fresh water. The Great Man Made River (GMMR) project, launched in 1983, aims to drill for, pump and convey water through a network of pipes to get it from the desert in the south to where it is most needed: the heavily populated coastal belt in northern Libya. The project has been called everything from the greatest feat of engineering ever attempted, to the eighth wonder of the world. When it is finished, its underground pipeline
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network will cover a distance equivalent to that between Montreal and Vancouver — nearly 4,000 kilometres. SNC-Lavalin has won several key contracts for the Great Man Made River project. The first, 15 years ago, was a mandate to drill and construct 117 water wells, 36 piezometer wells and 23 exploratory wells in the Tazerbo area in east-central Libya. Some of the wells had to be drilled to a depth of 1,200 metres, the length of 11 regulation football fields. To do this, SNC-Lavalin procured a fleet of heavy drilling and production equipment, 17,000 tonnes of cement and 8,500 tonnes of bentonite. “We completed 117 wells with a total capacity of one million cubic metres of water per day,” says Riadh Ben AÏssa, Executive Vice-President of SNC-Lavalin. “We drilled over
water
An Engineering Wonder Eight kilometres of carbonized metal wire is wound around each 7.5-m long pipe segment in the GMMR. The length of wire required for the first phase of the project alone could encircle the globe 230 times. The stone and sand used to manufacture its pipes would be enough to build 16 of the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. The quantity of cement used in this project could build a highway from Tripoli to Mumbai.
SNC-Lavalin
61,000 metres in loose sand and sandstone, installed and cemented casings, gravel-packed screens and worked over four million person-hours with no accidents.” After this, in 2001 SNC-Lavalin was awarded a contract for the restoration of 3,500 pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipes (PCCP) in the Sarir-Sirt/Tazerbo-Benghazi conveyance system. After 15 years underground, diurnal and seasonal temperature variations had caused water condensate to form around the conveyance pipeline. The condensate reacted with salts in the soils to form an acid solution which penetrated the thin layer of concrete covering the tensiled wires that served to strengthen the pipes. The acid corroded the wires to such an extent that they broke, weakening the pipes in some areas. The repairs covered a stretch of over 400 kilometres, and SNC-Lavalin’s construction crews used 450-tonne
cranes to handle pipes weighing more than 70 tonnes. The Great Man Made River is made up of over half a million of these PCCP pipes, each of which is 7.5 m long, 4 m in diameter, and 25 cm thick. Many more of these pipes will be required before the project is complete. In 2002, SNC-Lavalin was awarded a contract to design and manufacture PCCP using existing facilities in Sarir in eastcentral Libya. The project required a restart of a number of facilities such as batching, oxygen, acetylene, ice and power generation plants. SNC-Lavalin completed the revamp and start-up of the Sarir facility in 2003 and has been producing the massive water conveyance pipes ever since. As well, SNC-Lavalin continues its drilling work, with contracts under way for 298 wells in the Sarir well field, and for well fields in Ghandames and Kufra. “You have to admire the long-term vision of the Libyan government for launching this project over 25 years ago,” says Ben AÏssa. “Agricultural development in Libya has been hindered by the lack of adequate and reliable water resources. Once it is completed, the Great Man Made River will provide close to six million cubic metres of water per day for residential, commercial and agricultural use.” The system will eventually irrigate about 74,870 hectares of land, and help Libya attain its goal of becoming agriculturally self sufficient. The rest of the water will continue to supply Libya’s urban centres. cce Noel Rieder is a writer in SNC-Lavalin’s global corporate communications department. The project director at SNC-Lavalin in charge of the GMMR is André Béland, ing.
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stormwater
S
unday, July 26, 2009 started out like any other southern Ontario summer day — hot and humid. At first it seemed as though the Canadian Open golf tournament in Oakville would finally get a dry day after each of the preceding days had been played in very wet and stormy weather. Ground conditions across the Golden Horseshoe were saturated, area creeks were flowing steadily, and most stormwater management facilities across the city of Hamilton were full and still draining. At approximately 11 a.m. the skies in Hamilton darkened as heavy clouds approached from the southwest. In the next three hours, an extremely intense storm moved across the Red Hill Creek watershed from its headwater to its outlet, releasing well over 100 mm (4") of rainfall. The only rain gauge which remained operational after the storm, recorded an astonishing 91 millimetres in one hour alone. The extent and magnitude of the flooding, particularly in the Red Hill Creek watershed, was unprecedented. Portions of the new Red Hill Valley Parkway became a torrent as stormwater came cascading down the Niagara Escarpment, overwhelming ditches, sewers and roads. At its lower end towards the Canadian National Railway, water overtopped the parkway, trapping motorists and closing the
By Ron Scheckenberger, P.Eng. AMEC Earth & Environmental lecting data immediately following the storm. Gary Moore, P. Eng., who previously led Hamilton’s special projects office and design for the parkway and now leads the Public Works Division, together with AMEC staff, conducted an inspection less than 24 hours following the storm. Evidence of damage was widespread — downed fences, debris lines, eroded creek sections. However, the road was open and traffic was moving at normal speeds. The roadway appeared safe and fully functional. In the next few days, the AMEC engineers surveyed the high water marks and tied these into a geodetic datum. They gathered rainfall data for the storm, both from ground stations (rain gauges) and radar images. Finally, they used a numerical model to recreate the runoff response to the July 26 storm event in order to determine its magnitude compared to the design conditions. The data collected from rain gauges on the ground was used as input for the initial assessment. As is evident in the radar image, however, the storm’s intensity and spatial distribution were far from uniform. Consequently, this assessment approach was quickly abandoned in favour of a more resolute method, which used the radar imaging to produce data for numerous locations in the watershed. This approach simulated the actual spatial and temporal variability in rainfall (in
road for up to eight hours. Farther downstream, the Red Hill Creek breached its banks and spilled across the Queen Elizabeth Way, closing this 400-series highway that carries 125,000 vehicles per day for approximately three hours. Elsewhere in the community over 6,000 homes suffered various forms of flood damage. So, what had happened? The new expressway in Hamilton’s east end had opened in 2007, over 50 years after it was first planned. The seven-kilometre, four-lane, highway runs through the Red Hill Valley Creek. AMEC (then Philips Engineering) had led a team of specialists to realign and rehabilitate the creek. They also designed the roadway’s overall drainage and flood protection system. 1 The integrated network of flood control systems was designed to protect the roadway from the risk of floods. The engineering team based the design on protecting the parkway so that it could safely withstand a 100-year storm. Did this drainage system fail? The first steps in answering this question involved col30
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effect a total of 11 pseudo-gauges were created from the radar image). It ultimately led to the results in Table 1. Shocking results The results were truly shocking. The analysis suggested that flow rates at Albion Falls (the point at which the headwater drains over the Niagara Escarpment) were at, or slightly above, the predicted 100 year flow rate. Farther downstream towards the Red Hill Creek outlet, flow rates increased in magnitude to the point where by the time the flood wave reached the QEW, flow rates exceeded 150% of the 100 year peak flow! This was a storm event of unparalleled magnitude in the city of Hamilton. Hydraulic models of the creek system, including its bridges and culverts, corroborated the simulated flow rates with the field-measured high water levels. This correlation suggested that the design tools were not at fault, and provided an even greater level of confidence in the numerical modelling results. Rather than being a design failing, the design condition had actually been exceeded by an alarming 50%. continued on page 32
Opposite: ©2010 istockphoto/thinkstock
the day the
stormwater AMEC/Matt Senior
AMEC/Matt Senior
Inset photos: Red Hill Valley Parkway in the throes of the storm on July 26, 2009.
rains came After torrential rains flooded a new expressway in Hamilton, Ontario, the engineers who designed the drainage system went back to check what had happened.
AMEC/Matt Senior
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www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
Philips/AMEC
What did we learn? So, how did the system fare and what did we learn? • Storm direction can play a key role in the magnitude of flooding. By tracking from the headwater to the outlet, the flood intensity was compounded as the downstream flood peak coincided with the most intense period of the storm. • Design standards can be exceeded. Despite the best of intentions, all engineers must realize that design standards can be exceeded, especially where nature is involved. • Identifying the weakest points in the system and reinforcing these is important. The Red Hill Valley Parkway overtopped in predictable locations; reinforcing these against washout and structural damage would add a level of protection to the roadway. • Emergency response is key — vehicular access gates were not used in time. Despite the presence of gates at ramp entrances, cars were not prevented from accessing the parkway; a better flood warning system is required. Above: map of Hamilton, with Red Hill Valley Parkway running north. • Major flood control systems in natural areas through sensitive design can be highly effective in providing flood protection. The Davis Creek flood frequent and more intense extreme weather. These changcontrol facility was not yet built (it is currently under ing patterns will need to be monitored carefully in the fuconstruction); by controlling the flows from the Red Hill ture to ensure that rainfall design parameters are kept curCreek’s largest tributary at King St., the facility would rent and relevant. In summary, the drainage system for the parkway perhave reduced the flooding risk by 15% or more. • Radar, rather than point rainfall data, is very important formed exactly as designed; it flooded exactly where it was to assess spatially varied rainfall. The variability in rain- predicted to, in the amount that it was predicted to. So the fall intensity reduces the utility of ground based rain- question remains — Should expressways be designed to fall stations particularly when the gauge density is low; higher or different standards? Only time will tell. With the spectre of climate change on designers need to recognize this when assessing waterthe horizon, there will need to be close attention to stanshed response. cce • Can these storms be an indication of Climate Change? dards, and analytical tools will need to keep pace. Climate change has been suggested as a cause of more Ron Scheckenberger, P.Eng. is the unit manager of the Burlington Table 1: Simulated Peak Flows (m3/s) Comparison of July 26, 2009 Storm Response Infrastructure office of AMEC to Simulated 100-year Event and Hurricane Hazel Storm Earth & Environmental. He was project manager with AMEC for 100-Year Storm Regional July 26, 2009 Percentage Event (based Storm Storm Event of 100 Year the design of the Red Hill Valley Location on continuous (Hurricane (using radar Storm Parkway drainage system as well simulation) Hazel, 1954) rainfall) Event as the Red Hill Creek realignment and restoration project. CNR 99.2 458 153 154% 1 McCormick Rankin, Stantec Queenston Rd. 90.6 458 143 158% Consulting and Philips (now Davis Creek at Mt. Albion Rd. 31.0 110 58.9 196% AMEC) together led the engineering design team for the Red King Street 76.5 338 80.2 105% Hill Valley Parkway design and Albion Falls 64.6 235 63.1 98% construction.
surveying
By John Blair McElhanney Consulting Services
LiDAR, lasers and mobile mapping tools provide more accurate information about the existing terrain or conditions for engineering projects.
Digital Modelling Tools
Airborne LiDAR The production of accurate contours and digital terrain modelling over large or remote areas has led to the
McElhanney
D
igital terrain modelling (DTM) is generally required for any kind of large engineering project that stretches over a wide area. The traditional approach to this kind of surveying and terrain modelling has been to use aerial photography combined with photogrammetry to extract spot heights, contours and orthophotos. In heavily treed areas, contours developed by photogrammetry are generally accurate to one-third of the tree height. Photography is acquired at a flying height designed to provide the map scales and contours requested for specific applications, ranging from National 1:50,000 topographic maps to detailed engineering mapping at 1:500. The traditional method, howÂever, has limitations. The weather has to be suitable to be able to fly to take the photograph, and the density of the tree cover limits the view to the true ground. More recently, advances in lasers, image processing and computing power have led to changes in mapping and digital data acquisition. This article discusses three new digital surveying tools: LiDAR, lasers, and Mobile Mapping Systems. Using lasers mounted in an aircraft, or photo images captured from a vehicle, the technologies are able to produce horizontal and vertical ground points known as point clouds. These are clouds of points from which contours are generated.
Above: Airborne LiDAR scanning uses long-range laser combined with GPS and other technologies to create three-dimensional models of the earth’s surface.
introduction of flying with Airborne LiDAR to acquire vertical data. The Airborne LiDAR is a system consisting of a long-range laser that provides the distance from the aircraft to the ground, integrated with a GPS for horizontal and vertical position, an IMU (inertial measuring unit) which provides the tip, tilt and attitude of the aircraft, a camera for imagery, and an onboard computer. The advantage of the LiDAR is the ability of the laser beam to penetrate between trees and reach the true ground. It can therefore provide vertical points to decimeter level. For acquiring vertical LiDAR data, flights can be completed day or night, 24 hours a day. The limitation is weather, as LiDAR cannot be flown in cloud or rain. The aircraft mounted airborne
LiDAR gives the broadest coverage, providing a digital surface model (DSM) of large areas or long corridors and without needing to set foot on the property. Integrated with a digital camera aligned to the laser, the system also provides an orthophoto of the project site — aerial photography and Bare Earth contours in one mission! The post-processed DSM can also be used to create value-added products such as 3-D colour-classified image models, intensity value maps, virtual 3-D fly-throughs and terrain cross-sections and profiles. The digital aerial cameras provide both true colour and colour infrared IR imagery. The latter can be used for detecting impervious layers, assessing the health of vegetation, or detecting a water course. continued on page 35 June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
33
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surveying
GeoAutomation
continued from page 33
Above left: street scene photographs with features identified in digital (X, Y and Z) point clouds. Features can be vectorized into several forms such as curbs, profiles and cross sections. Above right: McElhanney’s mobile mapping vehicle.
Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS) What does Google Earth Street Scene have in common with Mobile Mapping Systems? Vehicle-based MMS is the latest introduction to fill the gap between airborne LiDAR mapping and terrestrial laser scanning systems. Offering precise details, MMS is quickly becoming the new technology tool for municipal infrastructure asset management, street surface information, detailed route profiles and road geometry data. The easiest way to view MMS in action is to visit Google Earth Street View. The Google truck you see driving around taking photos is really a perfect example of MMS technology. Engineers, planners and municipal managers are now asking for a pre-
cise level of detail and accuracy for street scene information, and MMS can create images with exact horizontal and vertical geo-referencing information by integrating vehicle mounted, high-resolution digital cameras with GPS ground control points. The results are 360° images captured as you drive along a road or a utility corridor such as a railway, waterway, transmission line or pipeline. The captured images are processed with automated terrestrial photogrammetry techniques, using GPS ground control to form the coordinate framework with common image points, mathematically “stitching” the individual frames together. The images are now ready for selective feature mapping and measurements. They give quick and reliable
access to geo-referenced street hardware, ground surface and building information, enabling you to build your GIS database or CAD drawing. Road profiles, cross sections and plan view line work can be extracted for engineering design and road upgrades. GIS, public works and planning staff can see street hardware and improvements by simply displaying the photo image scenes and digital data on their desktops. Mobile Mapping Systems are developed with the automated photogrammetry technique as described above, or as a vehicle mounted system that integrates LiDAR, camera, GPS and Inertial Measuring Units (IMU), capturing image and point cloud data. All systems are a cost effective and safer alternative to conventional continued on page 36
June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
35
surveying
products
continued from page 35
field survey techniques by keeping personnel off travelled lanes and minimizing traffic flow interruptions. Post-processed field data collected by the MMS can be manipulated at a later time, such as when winter limits field surveying activity. Terrestrial Laser Scanning Fixed-position terrestrial laser scanning with medium-range lasers are typically mounted on a tripod and set up over a known ground control point. They are designed for capturing features in mine sites, excavations, industrial plants, dams, offshore platforms, bridges, overpasses and roads. All features are captured by the laser measurements rotating on a vertical axis up to a 360° sweep. Ranges of up to two kilometres are achieved with millimeter accuracy. The resulting “point cloud” is a locally geo-referenced digital surface model (DSM) which can then be used for design, as-built records, monitoring, and surface and volume calculations. These systems are very portable and can be used in confined spaces. They are also cost effective compared to a total station survey where many points or features are required to build a data model. cce John Blair is Vice-President of Geomatics with McElhanney Consulting Services in Vancouver.
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36
www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
Water & WASTEWATER
The Sievers InnovOx On-Line Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer by GE allows users to analyze difficult process water samples routinely without the instrument requiring excessive preventive maintenance. It uses an innovative Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) technique, which historically has been used to treat large volumes of aqueous waste streams, sludges and contaminated soils. GE Is first to use the technique in a commercially available TOC analyzer. www.ge.com The CDA-22 Chlorine Dioxide Analyzer from ElectroChemical Devices is “plumb-and-play” — easy to install and maintain. Designed to measure chlorine dioxide in concentrations ranging from 0.05-20 ppm Cl02, and operating at a wide temperature range of 0-100°C, it is suitable for municipal water systems, wastewater, industrial cooling and rinse water. www.ecdi.com PUMPS
KSB Pumps has introduced the Etanorm SYT pumps for high-temperature applications, including use with synthetic thermal oil and with ratings as high as 350°C. The pumps feature a new venting system to help remove gases during operation. For very critical fluids, there is a pump with double mechanical seals. The pumps are capable of flow rates up to 1,900 m3/h and heads up to 102 m. www.ksb.com Wilden PSG’s Original Series T2 Metal Air-Operated Double-Diaghragm Pump is a 25-mm pump for a variety of wastewater applications such as the removal of solids during manufacturing operations. The T2 series includes wetted housings, water chambers and manifolds constructed of aluminum, and it is equipped with a Turbo-Flo air distribution system, which operates on differential pressure only. The pump has flow rates of 1321 pm. www. wildenpump.com WASTE & STORMWATER
The SaniTite HP Pipe from Advanced Drainage Systems meets the requirements for Standards ASTM F2736 and F2764. Designed for sanitary sewer trunk lines and stormwater, the 750-1500 mm diameter version is made of advanced polypropylene resin, with triple wall construction and a corrugated structural core. The 300-750 mm diameter pipe has dual wall construction, a smooth interior, and corrugated exterior. www.ads-pipe.com
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engineers & the law
By Tamara Farber Miller Thomson LLP
Developing Brownfields
Regulation changes in Ontario have a big impact
R
ecently, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment further defined to include the typical list of industrial activiissued amendments to regulations relating to brown- ties, such as chemical manufacturing, processing, storage, field redevelopment. Brownfields are common across handling and disposal. It also includes electricity generation Canada and there has been a push to rejig various provin- and the importation of fill material of unknown quality. cial regulatory frameworks to encourage redevelopment 5. Qualified Persons (QPs) and Conflicts of Interest. The and bring these properties back to life. At the same time, regulation adds various conflict of interest sections associatthere are attempts to improve the science behind assessing ed with Qualified Persons. These new sections are designed for acceptable contaminant levels on these sites. to restrict those who hold direct or indirect interests in a The latest amendments to property from also conducting the New sections are designed to Phase I or II Environmental Site Ontario’s brownfield regulatory framework (O.Reg 511/09) restrict those who hold interests in Assessments for that property. implement many of the loose 6. Records of Site Condition a property from also conducting its (RSCs). The procedure for filing ends from prior amendments to environmental site assessments. RSCs has been amended to incorthe Ontario Environmental Protection Act from 2007 and have porate the concept of submission been long awaited. Some of the amendments came into for filing. The change is to enable the Ministry to deal with force on December 29, 2009, but most will technically not obvious defects in the submission and to allow for time for come into force until July 1, 2011. In practice, however, the notices or acknowledgements. There is a 30-day period in amendments are being implemented already since develop- which the Ministry must respond to a submission for filing ers are recognizing that to work to a less stringent standard a Record of Site Condition. might pose problems for potential ongoing liability. 7. Stale Date for Information in Support of an EnvironFollowing are 10 important changes to the Ontario mental Site Assessment (ESA). The regulation includes a brownfield regulations. stale date for information that may be used in support of a 1. General. The last standards to which most redevelop- Phase I or Phase II ESA, being 18 months before the submisment was benchmarked were legislated in 2004. Approxi- sion of a Record of Site Assessment or the commencement mately 120 contaminants are now updated. Of particular of a Phase II ESA or Risk Assessment. The Qualified Person note are much more stringent standards for volatile organic must be satisfied that there is no new or materially changed compounds, and some hydrocarbon related contaminants. area of potential environmental concern at the property. 2. Petroleum Hydrocarbon Standards. These are gener8. Conceptual Site Models (CSMs). The regulation ally more stringent than the 2004 standards. The Ministry requires the Qualified Person to create a conceptual model of Environment did attempt to balance the competing consisting of figures, narrative descriptions and assessments interests of development and conservatism. showing existing buildings, water bodies, adjacent proper3. Definition for Phase I Study Area. The regulation now ties, areas where potentially contaminating activity has includes a definition for a Phase I Study Area for a Phase occurred and areas of environmental concern. 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA). The definition Where a contaminant is present in excess of the appliincludes not only the Phase I property, but also any other cable standards, the model must include a description of the property located within 250 metres of its boundary, as well distribution and migration of that contamination, as well as a as any property that the Qualified Person (QP)/consultant diagram identifying the contaminant transport pathways and determines should be included in the study area. receptors. The modelling concept is not new, but the require4. Definition for Contaminant of Concern. This defini- ment to include it as part of a Phase I or Phase II ESA is new. tion includes a contaminant in excess of applicable site con9. Imported Soil. The regulation adds a section allowdition standards, or a contaminant for which no standard ing the import of soil that did not originate on the subject is prescribed and which is associated with potentially con- property, provided that sampling verifies that the imported taminating activity. “Potentially contaminating activity� is soil meets the Record of Site Condition standards or risk continued on page 40 June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
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engineers & the law
computer products
continued from page 39
assessment standards. Imported fill may only be used to backfill an excavation or for final grading. Previously, soil that was in excess of provincial background contaminant levels was considered waste under the General Waste Management regulation under the Environmental Protection Act and could not be used on another site. The change has tremendous implications in the province for moving soil that would otherwise have been destined directly for soil recycling or landfill. 10. Modified Generic Risk Assessment Model. The major amendments to the risk assessment sections provide for a Modified Generic Risk Assessment. The model allows a site specific approach without a full risk assessment. The model permits the Qualified Practitioner to adjust assumptions underlying the generic site condition standards, including soil type, fraction of organic carbon, distance to closest surface water body, minimum depth to water table and hydraulic conductivity. The model allows for risk management measures to eliminate exposure pathways. At present, only an interim model is available, but it still provides a fairly robust system for data analysis. cce Tamara Faber is a Partner practising environmental law at Miller Thomson LLP the Toronto. Tel: 416.595.8520, e-mail tfarber@millerthomson.com.
CAD FOR BUILDINGS
Autodesk released its 2011 enhancements for several products this spring. One new release is Autodesk Revit Structure 2011, building information modeling (BIM) software. Key features include enhancements to framing (slanted columns, beam systems, trusses and connection systems); to reinforcement and concrete clean-up; and to analytical modeling. The 2011 Autodesk Revit MEP (mechanical, electrical plumbing) enhancements include cable tray and conduit modeling, panel schedules and MEP fixture management. To help firms move into the BIM process, the 2011 portfolio also includes software suites that combine traditional software with Revit. For example, AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite combines AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2011, with Autodesk Revit Structure 2011. www.autodesk.com CAD FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
For infrastructure engineers, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 by Autodesk has improved scalability features and an optimized 64-bit version of Civil 3D. It also has enhanced tools for creating and editing corridors, and enhanced superelevation functionality. AutoCAD Map 3D 2011, which helps land development, water and transportation engineers to more easily create and analyze GIS and asset
data, includes new point cloud tools and enhanced data support and workflow capabilities. www.autodesk.com Bentley Systems is integrating its civil engineering design and stormwater modeling and analysis applications to improve team workflows and collaboration. The applications include Bentley’s InRoads, GEOPAK, PowerCivil for North America, MXROAD, CivilStorm, StormCAD, and PondPack products. With this integration, civil designers can ensure the accurate location of stormwater infrastructure using geometric and digital terrain data. They can also generate 3D visualizations and analysis for clash detection and constructability, all from within Bentley civil products. www.bentley.com DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Burrtech of Colorado has introduced eTransmittal, a web-based tool that streamlines and automates the exchange and tracking of architecture, engineering, and construction documents. It has been developed as an affordable, functional and more secure way of transmitting large documents compared to traditional shipping, e-mail, and ftp sites (which often provide no tracking and little security). Because eTransmittal is a Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) productivity tool, all that is needed is an internet connection and web browser. www.etransmittal.com
We’re more than engineering
Thank you for 25 years
• Building Structures • Environmental • Geomatics • Land Development • Municipal
MTE Consultants Inc. Kitchener 519-743-6500
Burlington 905-639-2552
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Drawing on experience...Building on strength. MTE Consultants Inc. Publication: Canadian Consulting Engineer 40 www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010 Size: 7" x 2.25"
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• Ontario Land Surveying • Site Development • Toxicology & Risk Assessment • Product Testing & Registration
manufacturer programs
water & wastewater
Denso uses hands-on training for waterworks
D
enso Petrolatum Systems have always been a large part of Denso North America’s business. This is no more evident than in Ontario’s growing waterworks industry where Denso is considered the benchmark for corrosion prevention. A key reason for this continued growth is our presence in the area of hands-on training. Hands-on training allows Denso the opportunity to directly show a wide variety of industry people how to utilize and properly apply our petrolatum systems. The live application demonstrations not only give waterworks operators first-hand knowledge and training hours that are required to maintain their operator licenses, but also they allow engineers and inspectors the chance to ask questions about our products and see how they would best use Denso materials for their specific projects. Waterworks training centres throughout the province of Ontario operate with this same hands-on approach, putting all the relevant industry people into a classroom format that promotes this type of training. Over the past several years Denso has emphasized that hands-on-training should become part of the municipal specifications. This training assures the engineer that the specified Denso system will be correctly installed before work begins, and it also helps the contractors to properly understand first-hand what they should be doing in the field. This hands-on training approach is just one more reason why Denso continues to be the leader in waterworks corrosion prevention.
advertorial
DENSO
Article by Blair Slessor, Regional Sales Manager for Ontario with Denso North America Inc.- Canada. Tel. 416-291-3435, www.densona.com
June/July 2010
Canadian Consulting Engineer
41
Specifier’s Literature Review
ACO DRAIN – WORLD’S LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF TRENCH DRAINAGE SYSTEMS ACO Road consists of four different, yet complimentary, product offerings. Each product within the range addresses a variety of unique design criteria required in different types of road and/or bridge projects. Products address several key issues: • Minimize roadside ponding and sheeting (TraffikDrain & CurbDrain) • Cope with the challenges of fast moving vehicles (HighwayDrain) • Avoid multiple grades (line drainage) • Fast evacuation of stormwater on bridges (BridgeDrain) (877) 226-4255 www.acocan.ca SUPPLIER: ACO SYSTEMS
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The Canam Info-Tech bulletin, aimed at the consulting engineering community, is intended to keep decision-makers informed about the various products Canam fabricates. By consulting Canam Info-Tech, designers will learn how to make optimum use of Canam products for the benefit of their customers. Register free of charge at www.canam.ws/engineers. For more information, contact us at www.canam-steeljoist. ws/contactus-engineering. SUPPLIER: CANAM INFO-TECH
Danfoss AB-QM pressure independent control valves provide superb control and dynamic hydronic balance in one compact valve. With a built in pressure differential controller maintaining a constant pressure across the control valve, the AB-QM has 100% authority at all load conditions - eliminating over flows and under flows resulting from pressure fluctuations in the system. • Achieve design _T • Increase efficiency of chillers and condensing boilers • Reduce system pumping costs Available with an industry leading range of actuators for all control strategies: On/Off, 3 point floating and modulating. SUPPLIER: DANFOSS
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Proven worldwide for well over 100 years, Denso Petrolatum Tapes offer the best, most economical, long-term corrosion protection for all above and below ground metal surfaces. Requiring only minimum surface preparation and environmentally responsible, Denso Petrolatum Tape is the solution to your corrosion problems in any corrosive environment. For applications in mines, mills, refineries, steel mills, pulp & paper, oil & gas, and the waterworks industry. The answer is Denso! Tel: 416-291-3435, Fax: 416-291-0898 E-mail: blair@densona.com Web: www.densona.com SUPPLIER: DENSO NORTH AMERICA INC.
This comprehensive Technical Design Manual provides in-depth methodology and design assistance for the many applications of Chance® Helical Piers and Anchors. This resource has been compiled to provide information to geotechnical and structural engineers on how to design Chance Helical Piers and Anchors for structural retrofits, new structures, telecom towers, soil retention and environmental boardwalks. Contact us for a free copy before your next deep foundation project. Please visit www. c3group.com/ebs for further information on EBS Engineering and Construction Limited and CHANCE® HELICAL PIER® Systems. SUPPLIER: EBS ENGINEERING
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From oilsands and drilling platforms to refineries and pipelines, KSB pumps, valves and systems are employed in all essential transport systems and production processes in the oil and gas industry as well as in refineries and petrochemical plants. Whether the job is transporting abrasive sandy residues, seawater or acids, KSB has rugged solutions for many fluid substances and provides customers in over 100 countries with local support by experienced engineers. KSB’s sector-specific product brochure is available for downloading @ www.ksb.ca. SUPPLIER: KSB PUMPS INC.
ITT Flygt has joined forces with other leading companies to form a premiere all inclusive water and wastewater company serving Canadians from coast to coast. Leading product Brands such as Flygt, Sanitaire, Wedeco, Leopold and A-C pump are now part of the ITT W&WW portfolio of Brands, giving its customers practical and proven solutions combined with the very best pumps, mixers and other water handling products. To find out more visit our website at www.ittwww.ca SUPPLIER: ITT W&WW
SOFT STARTER SSW-06
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The SSW-06 is WEG’s third generation Soft Starter line. Its Keypad with dual display provides high visibility with bright red LED digits and easy programming. With built-in bypass contacts to eliminate heat dissipation once the motor is at full voltage it is extremely compact. This allows for simple integration in non-ventilated enclosures and replacement of electromechanical starters in Motor Control Centers. This product recently won the IF Design Award - Industrial Products Category. The main design attributes which conferred this award to the SSW-06 were the simplicity of constructive solutions and its user friendly operator interface. Call 1 877 PAMENSKY www.pamensky.com SUPPLIER: V.J. PAMENSKY
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S-CONCRETE is a reinforced concrete section design and detailing software that operates in stand-alone mode or integrated with our structural analyis software, S-FRAME and P-FRAME. S-CONCRETE supports the current American, Canadian, British, and Singapore standards. It will design beams, columns, composite columns, and shear walls subjected to wind and earthquake loads. For more information please visit our website at www.s-frame.com SUPPLIER: SOFTEK SERVICES LTD.
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Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine provides high quality editorial coverage of the most pertinent and timely issues that affect engineers across Canada. The magazine reaches the consulting engineers who make the critical decisions on building and construction projects. This is exactly the audience you need to reach. Advertise your product or service with us. Be seen and be specified! To order your 2010 media kit, please send along your request to Maureen Levy at (416) 510-5111 or email: mlevy@ccemag.com
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Tough drainage for worry free designs The ACO PowerDrain trench drain products are designed for applications where heavy loads associated with vehicle maneuvers on top of the drain are expects. From bus garages to airports, military facilities or fire stations, ACO PowerDrain products ensure safe and efficient drainage and a long service life. Independent load test reports are available for all ACO Drain products. ACO Systems, Ltd. (877) 226-4255 www.acocan.ca
For information on placing an advertisement in the Canadian Consulting Engineer Professional Directory, contact Maureen Levy, Senior Publisher, 416-510-5111, email: mlevy@ccemag.com Vince Naccarato, Sales Manager, 416-510-5118, email: vnaccarato@ccemag.com
Kenaidan is an employee owned general contractor building heavy civil/structural concrete, water works, and ICI projects and we’re looking for exceptional people to join our team. Our Mississauga office currently requires...
Business Development Manager
For a complete job description and required qualifications please visit the career opportunities section of our web site at: www.kenaidan.com or Fax to 905-670-9172 While we appreciate your interest, we regret we cannot accept phone calls from applicants or agencies. Kenaidan practices equal and fair opportunity in employment.
Breaking New Ground
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www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
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ITT Flygt
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519-695-0100
www.ittflygt.ca
KSB Pumps
10
ksbcanada@ksbcanada.com
905-568-9200
www.ksb.ca
Miller Thomson LLP
36
opawson@millerthomson.com
604-643-1254
www.millerthomson.com
Moen
7
800-465-6130
www.moen.ca
MTE Consultants Inc.
40
mail@mte85.com
519-743-6500
www.mte85.com
VJ Pamensky
35
anthonyz@pamensky.com
877-726-3675
www.pamensky.com
Rittal Systems
24,25
rittal@sales.ca
800-399-0748
www.rittal.ca
SimplexGrinnell
5
ChWoodcock@simplexgrinnell.com
978-731-7052
www.simplexgrinnell.com
Softek Services
48
sales@s-frame.com
604-273-7737
www.s-frame.com
Manufacturer Programs Denso North America, Inc.
Pg# 41
engineer Canadian Consulting
Title
Phone
Denso uses hands-on training for waterworks
Website
416-291-3435
www.densona.com
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45
the human edge
INTERVIEW
On Board
Rosamund Hyde crosses Canada by rail for business meetings
R
osamund Hyde, Ph.D, P. Eng. is a research support coordinator with Stantec Consulting, based in Toronto. In the past three years she has taken the train between Ontario and B.C. 10 times to attend business meetings.
Q. What makes you choose the train?
Like other people, I feel called to explore, “What is the life abundant?” For many years I had a car-free lifestyle and I learned a lot about abundant living from that experience. So when my work took a turn toward more travel I decided to see what I could learn by using only surface transportation — trains and buses. I wanted to take business travel seriously and not pretend that it wasn’t happening, that it didn’t have implications. Travel is hard on the environment, but sometimes it is necessary. A meeting in person can help people work together. Q. What’s the longest train journey you’ve taken?
Vancouver to Halifax and back, with lots of stops along the way. That’s about six nights and five days. It was broken up; I visited as many Stantec offices as I could. Since 2006, for business travel I’ve always taken the train, sometimes supplementing it with long-distance bus for schedule reasons. I’ve travelled from B.C. to southern Ontario return by train 10 times in the past three years — twice by comfort class, and eight times by sleeper. Q. How do you pass the time?
I work. When I travel sleeper class I can have a great breakfast. I can work on my laptop for 12 hours without interruption. Then I can have a great dinner. Three days in a row! Travelling by train gives me time to reflect on my work and its implications. Q. What kind of people do you meet?
The meals are community seating, so I meet lots of people from all over the world. There was an Australian farmer I met travelling through Alberta. He was ecstatic. He said, ‘This is the most surface water I’ve ever seen in my life.’ I met three sisters once. They were elderly and remembered when the train would stop for the railway staff to buy blueberries from people beside the track and they’d serve the berries for dinner. 46
www.canadianconsultingengineer.com June/July 2010
Rosamund Hyde alights from a train in Napanee, Ontario.
Q. Have you ever felt that someone in the office might think that you are not using your time effectively?
I think there’s a recognition that long-distance train travel doesn’t fit with everyone’s job. My job happens to be so independent that I could certainly do parts of it in isolation, and I do need the opportunity to focus. So that may mitigate people’s feelings, like them thinking, ‘Why isn’t she out meeting clients?’ or whatever. Q. Did you look into air travel and find out that it was environmentally harmful?
I think the real thing is that we have transportation choices, our choices have consequences, and if we don’t explore the choices, it’s as though we don’t have them. So I explore surface travel. Transportation comparisons are complex, but here’s one statistic to start from. In Canada 75% of the freight moves by rail, and only 3% of Canada’s overall greenhouse gas emissions are from rail. Seventy-five percent — that’s a huge number. cce
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