Horseshoe Slough Drainage Pump Station

Location

Richmond, British Columbia

Expertise

Pump Stations

Buildings

Building Structures

Water

Water Resources

Urban Drainage

The Horseshoe Slough Drainage Pump Station has been in service since 1978 and was nearing the end of its useful life.

The maximum capacity of the original pump station was estimated at 3 m³/s. Associated Engineering was engaged to provide design and construction services to replace the pump station as part of the City of Richmond’s drainage system upgrade plan and to increase its pumping capacity and reliability.

The following key design features were implemented:

Station to be a post-disaster structure with ground improvements using stone columns.
3 submersible KSB axial-flow pumps providing 4.2 m³/s combined capacity, operating on VFDs.
Combined concrete floodbox and pump discharge structure.
Dyke adjacent to station was raised from 3.5 m to 4.7 m, with considerations for future build-out elevation of up to 5.5 m.
Backflow valve with fish screen was installed to allow water backflow for irrigation purposes.
Stationary generator on site, sized to operate two pumping units.
Architectural design of the structures.

AE’s scope of work included:

Concept, preliminary and detailed design.
Environmental assessment and preparation of applicable permits.
Tender, construction and post-construction services.

The project was completed in November 2020.

Client

City of Richmond

Project Highlights

Horseshoe Slough Drainage Pump Station

Issues and Challenges

During construction, traffic at the station had to remain active.
Telus, BC Hydro, and a Fortis main were crossing the site requiring utility coordination.
New pump station was built beside the existing one to keep drainage active, with old station removed at the end. This made construction staging challenging.
Deep excavation with sheet piles and well point dewatering adjacent to the Fraser River and utilities passing through the coffer dam proved to be challenging.