WC145 NovDec 2025 - Magazine - Page 36
“This project is an example of an organization
creating change by making sustainability a core
principle,” said Jill Roth, Luuceo’s vice president and
senior consultant. “The groundwork was laid with the
BCIT Campus Plan, which allowed for a swift delivery
project execution that not only addressed the issue of a
sinkhole but also expanded access to nature on campus
while enhancing resilience. BCIT’s dedication is proof
that embedding sustainability principles into project
delivery does not have to create a burden.”
“Although born from an emergency response, this
project became an important step in the larger revitalization of Guichon Creek,” explained Joe Cosh, BCIT’s
Director of Facilities Improvements. This project
supported resilience strategies by removing the risk of
future culvert failures and sizing the creek’s capacity
to accommodate 100-year storm events, and it also
supported BCIT’s stormwater management strategy
by daylighting the creek channel and using natural
filtration for runoff entering the creek to improve
water quality. Runoff is filtered by the now exposed
creek bank vegetation and underlying native soil, and
also screened by the newly installed riprap. Additional
sustainability features included installing a fish ladder
to support fish migration efforts and contribute to
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WATER C AN ADA • NOV EMBER/ DECEMBER 2025
the campus’s Living Labs program and
adding new green space on campus.
“The creek is more than a piece of infrastructure to BCIT,” noted Cosh. “It’s
a valuable habitat for a host of native
plants and animals, and a wonderful
amenity for students and employees, as
well as the neighboring community.”
Envision has also been applied on
other water projects in Canada. Like
with Guichon Creek, the project
teams on these projects recognized the
multi-faced nature of sustainability and
resilience and committed to addressing
social, environmental and economic
aspects.
In Red Deer, Alberta, the Red Deer
Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Residuals Management Facility (RMF) provided an outstanding example of building
resiliency into water infrastructure (Envision Bronze, 2021). Envision was used
to guide the design and construction of
the RMF and helped the project team—
comprised of staff from the City of Red
Deer (owner), Associated Engineering
Alberta Ltd. (Engineering Consultant), and Chandos Construction Ltd.
(General Contractor)—develop a cost-effective and
more resource-efficient facility and reduce the RMF’s
environmental impacts. While designed to address
the primary goal—to improve the quality of the waste
stream from the clarification process at the WTP prior
to its discharge into the Red Deer River— the project
achieved several inter-related sustainability goals. By
improving treatment of the waste stream, the project
reduced the visible plume from the discharge, reduced
solid sedimentation and associated impacts on fish habitats, improved the river’s aesthetics, and encouraged
recreational activities.
Another striking example is the Grand Bend Area
Wastewater Treatment Facility, which was the first
wastewater facility to be Envision-verified in North
America (Envision Platinum, 2015). For this project,
the municipalities of Lambton Shores and South
Huron commissioned Stantec to convert one of four
existing lagoons into an extended aeration mechanical
treatment facility and wetland nature reserve. The facility was designed to prevent effluent discharges from
adversely impacting surface and groundwater quality
and allow for responsible community development.
Stantec used Envision during the design to integrate
sustainable features throughout the facility.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
British Columbia Institute of Technology
STORMWATER
