Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant project
The Piapot First Nation is situated roughly 50 kilometers north of Regina, in Saskatchewan's picturesque Qu'Appelle Valley. This community is home to over 800 residents, of which about 85% live in rural areas.
The community relies on its water treatment plant, located in the core area, for potable water distribution to all residents. The core area is served by a conventional piped water distribution system, while rural homes receive regular water deliveries via trucks.
On the evening of October 29, 2018, the Piapot water treatment plant caught fire. Despite a rapid response by community members, the fire spread rapidly and completely consumed the facility. This regrettable incident left the Nation without any potable water supply nor fire protection, posing a critical threat to public and community health.
Given their lengthy relationship, the Piapot First Nation tasked BCL Engineering Ltd. - an Englobe partner company - with developing a comprehensive plan to restore the community’s water supply. The team was also mandated with design, contract administration, and resident engineering services for all phases of this critical infrastructure project.
Key challenges around the Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant project
The BCL team’s most pressing issue was the planning and coordination of an emergency response to quickly identify and deploy an adequate water supply solution for hygienic use in all households.
In addition, the project presented notable geographical and infrastructure challenges. The community is spread across a rural setting with dramatic elevation changes, which makes the delivery of critical infrastructure services, including potable water supply, particularly challenging.
Lastly, certain materials such as pumps and other critical components were not readily available, leading the BCL team to innovate and adapt so the project could advance despite its extremely tight timelines.
Project approach and complexity
The plan to restore water service involved a multiphase approach. To expedite this work, the design work for all three phases was executed simultaneously.
Phase 1: Emergency water supply
In this phase, the BCL team focused on providing an emergency water supply to all households for hygienic use. The urgency of the situation could not be overstated.
The fire occurred in the evening, and by 10:00 the next morning our team was onsite. Within 24 hours of the incident, people could flush toilets and wash their hands again,
Ryan Arnold, Project Manager for BCL Engineering, notes.
If it were my community, I would want the water turned back on as soon as possible. Losing that access affects public health and even fire protection services.
Phase 2: Temporary water treatment facility
This phase centred on construction of a temporary water treatment plant to minimize ongoing trucking costs and contamination risks, and to re-establish the community’s fire protection services.
The BCL team linked this plant to a repurposed storage building and included treatment equipment, water storage, truck filling station, domestic pumps, electrical equipment, chemical feeds, and a temporary office. This phase was completed only 3.5 months after the fire, substantially faster than usual for this type of project.
Phase 3: New water treatment plant
The final phase was the full rebuild of a new water treatment facility on the existing site.
Once the fire debris could be cleaned up, the BCL team analyzed whether any of the fire-damaged infrastructure could be salvaged. Due to the extreme heat, chemical degradation, and toxins from the blaze, the team determined that the site was compromised, and a new facility should be built from the ground up.
The new water treatment plant was constructed over a period of 16 months. Following months of coordination, detailed design, and several construction contracts, the Piapot First Nation was able to deliver water to the community once again - through the newly constructed replacement water treatment plant - on October 30, 2020, only two years to the day after the fire.
Delivering innovation in the Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant project
Innovation played a crucial role in the success of the Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant Project. Some of the innovative solutions the BCL team implemented include:
- Biological filtration: The BCL team’s use of biological filters as pre-treatment provided a natural, chemical-free water treatment system. This was followed by membrane filtration to ensure the safest possible water quality and meet Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines - a high-priority goal for community leaders.
- Energy efficiency: The new facility was designed to meet the Canadian Energy Code, incorporating many features to reduce energy consumption and operational costs.
- Modular storage tanks (Phase 2): To re-establish fire protection, modular above-ground polyethylene-lined tanks were used, providing additional emergency storage capacity.
- Long-term sustainability: Throughout this project, the BCL team was also mindful of ensuring the water treatment plant’s sustainability over the long term. This involved training operational staff, implementing innovative solutions to reduce energy consumption and operational costs, and designing the facility to allow for potential future upgrades.
Economic, social, and human benefits of the Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant Project
The Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant Project delivered clear benefits to the community:
- Economic benefits: The project involved significant capital expenditures and created numerous economic opportunities for community businesses, including 1,300 labour hours by local workers. The BCL team’s innovative solutions helped reduced the plant’s operational and maintenance costs, providing long-term economic benefits.
- Social benefits: The fire’s overall impact on residents was minimized thanks to the quick response and collaboration between the owner, engineering team, and contractors.
- Environmental and health benefits: The new water treatment plant provides the community with long-term, sustainable access to a safe, reliable water supply, which is essential for public health and well-being. This was a key priority for community leaders.
A demonstration of resilience and responsiveness
The Piapot First Nation Emergency Water Treatment Plant Project is a testament to the resilience of the community and the responsiveness of the BCL team. The project successfully restored water service to the community, preserving its public health and restoring fire safety within a very short time.
It was very satisfying to take a project from start to finish in two years — something that usually takes substantially longer due to funding and design timelines,
Ryan Arnold adds.
We’ve had a relationship with Piapot for 15 to 20 years. Knowing the community so well meant we could respond quickly.
In 2022, the BCL Engineering team’s excellence in delivering this critical project was recognized with the Brian Eckel Award of Merit conferred by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK).