Hudson’s Hope WTP Conversion
2023 | Hudson’s Hope, BC
Preparing for Hudson’s Hope WTP Conversion
Over the past two years, the District of Hudson’s Hope (the District) has worked on converting its water treatment plant (WTP) from a well source to a return to the Peace River, to serve as both a temporary and permanent source of drinking water.
McElhanney contributed to this effort by providing initial recommendations in a June 2022 report, which identified the river as a suitable long-term source for the community’s potable water system. The raw surface water is of much higher quality than the existing well source, which has been degrading in quality, causing significant operational concerns, and leading to “Do Not Consume” orders.
In January 2023, the District moved forward with the temporary conversion of their WTP to include pumps in the river and an overground pipeline to convey surface water to the plant. The District also made several changes inside the plant to filter and disinfect the water, including the addition of UV reactors prior to a final chlorine disinfection.
These temporary conversion measures quickly proved their worth; District staff experienced a substantial reduction in process and equipment malfunctions, overtime callouts, and high-intensity operational circumstances. With the production of potable water stabilized, the District was ready to design a lasting water treatment plant for the community.
McElhanney is engaged to advance the design of a new water treatment plant for the District. To bring the community to the final design phase of the project, McElhanney has thus far provided:
- Clarifier model selection to reduce particulate in water sourced from the Peace River.
- An electrical assessment outlining how to re-configure electrical and controls (both original, and temporarily relocated) for the plant.
- Preliminary design drawings to a level of approximately 50% for the general arrangement of buildings and equipment, and basic requirements for structural and electrical.
- A detailed implementation schedule, working with local contractors to support a smooth transition from one process to the other.
- A Final Report complete with a Class B cost estimate, schedule, and preliminary drawings.
Key Conversion Considerations for Hudson’s Hope
Installation of the temporary works required careful planning and cooperation amongst a multidisciplinary internal engineering team (electrical, structural, and process) to ensure the solution met or exceeded the requirements of the Health and Safety Act, WorkSafe BC, and Northern Health, among others. The speed at which the temporary works were implemented was a testament to resourceful and creative engineering practices adopted by McElhanney’s engineering team, as well as their long-standing working relationship with permitting authorities.
McElhanney is proud to be part of the District’s transition to a safe and sustainable water source for their community and continues to partner with the community to ensure access to clean water over the long-term.
