Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

Stantec helped design one the largest wastewater and most technologically advanced treatment plants in Canada. Our role included civil and structural design, as well as process design for secondary treatment elements.

The plant discharges to the Bow River, a world-class sport fishing river and a main source of irrigation and drinking water for the City of Calgary. Early in the project, we realized the effluent discharge would gather at the outfall site and not be disbursed evenly when using standard outfall pipes. We calculated the river flow pattern through Computational Fluid Dynamic modeling, determining the position of discharge ports where river depth and velocity could provide greater local dilution. Using this data, we designed outfall pipes to release effluent beneath the river's rock bed, allowing equal and even disbursement. 

Advanced measures were taken to reduce the greenfield plant's environmental impact. The facility's main building is LEED Gold certified. Recycled and low-emitting materials were used throughout, along with 5,500 m² of green roofing. Methane from the treatment process helps heat the buildings. Some of the treated water is supplied to a golf course and nursery located nearby.

The main treatment process is biological nutrient removal. The plant also incorporates tertiary treatment in the form of filtration and UV disinfection. Phase one of this project set the stage for future expansion, with an ultimate plant capacity of 700 ML/Day, enough to fill the Saddledome twice over.